Certainly an interesting movie to look at but the innovative “interpolated rotoscoping” (animation drawn over live action) is more than a visual gimmick: in realising a skewed – recognisable but not quite right – version of reality perfectly suited the material.

I was very grateful for the stoner comedy moments in A Scanner Darkly – I think it would have been too bitter a pill to swollow (sorry) for me, otherwise. Because there is no doubt that at its core this a bleak, tragic film. Moreover, its quite obviously based on very personal, very tortured experiences (in this case those of the author of the original book, Philip K. Dick).

This is a very worthwhile movie, and a very relevant one too.