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Waking Life (2001)

Directed by Richard Linklater · Cinematography by Richard Linklater, Tommy Pallotta

R99 min59 frames

AnimationDramaFantasy

Dreams. What are they? An escape from reality or reality itself?

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Stills, screencaps & shots from Waking Life

16 of 59 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A man stands indoors against a dark, textured wall in a dimly lit space. He holds a lit cigarette while…Waking Life (2001) movie still: closeup — An interior space features bright vertical blinds in the background behind a woman. The person faces…Waking Life (2001) movie still: closeup — A simplified animated interior space with solid-colored geometric backgrounds. A woman faces a man while…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A dimly lit establishment with a wooden counter and dark ambient tones. A muscular shirtless man stands in…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A dimly lit room with a rough, textured ceiling above a bed. A young man and woman face one another while…Waking Life (2001) movie still: closeup — A man lies in a bed with a white patterned pillow against a gray wall. He rests his head while looking to…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A flat-shaded rotoscoped interior environment with light blue walls and stark black line work. Two men…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A man drives a car through a dry, tan-colored landscape. A small rubber duck sits on the dashboard as the…Waking Life (2001) movie still: wide — A high-angle view shows stylized white and blue buildings standing next to a city. A dense, abstract urban…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — An outdoor area features a textured red brick wall behind two men talking. One man in a white shirt…Waking Life (2001) movie still: closeup — A man with curly hair appears against a dark background with white star symbols. The subject stares toward…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A man in a dark shirt and another in a light shirt converse.Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A man in a captain's hat operates a boat under a cloudy sky. The vessel is near a chain link fence and open…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A dimly lit room features dark wood-plank walls decorated with various small framed pictures. A young girl…Waking Life (2001) movie still: closeup — A man stands before a simple, flat-colored brown brick wall background. He holds his right index finger…Waking Life (2001) movie still: medium — A school classroom with students sitting in rows facing a large blackboard. A male lecturer stands behind a…
Waking Life (2001) — © IFC Productions, Thousand Words

Waking Life — official trailer

What is Waking Life about?

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

Where can you watch Waking Life?

US availability for Waking Life (2001). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in Waking Life?

Who made Waking Life?

What does the cinematography of Waking Life look like?

Across 58 sampled frames, Waking Life builds its coverage from medium shots (48% of the sample), with close-ups (33%) carrying much of the rest. Cinematographer Richard Linklater keeps 62% of it in naturalistic light. Deep focus keeps foreground and background readable at once in 84% of the frames.

What is the color palette of Waking Life?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of Waking Life (2001) are #2f2d2d, #f8f8f9, #0b0909, #d3d1cc, #2e3249, #534f53 — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #2f2d2d
  • #f8f8f9
  • #0b0909
  • #d3d1cc
  • #2e3249
  • #534f53

See the full Waking Life colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

Waking Life ranks in

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Techniques in this film

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