Visioneers at the Alamo Ritz

Many moviegoers first came to know Zach Galifianakis when he landed the role of Alan, the socially awkward but endearing brother of the bride in The Hangover, but lots of enamored fans will tell you that this crazy dude has been around for a while. He has appeared in hilarious music videos. He has been a part of under watched television series, and he has performed in many advertisements and comedy shows.

He also starred as the awesomely-named character George Washington Winsterhammerman in a brilliant, under-the-radar film called Visioneers that quietly premiered last year—you may have seen it at the Austin Film Festival. If you missed it and want to catch it on the big screen before it becomes a DVD cult favorite—which we think is highly likely—see it at the Alamo Ritz this Sunday night.

Absurdly funny like Office Space, nonchalantly surreal like Being John Malkovich and altogether eerie in its Orwellian undertones, Visioneers depicts a world where pointless productivity is valued above all else and dreamers literally explode. Citizens go through the motions of being happy but few actually are, including Galifianakis’s character, who begins to have vivid dreams of being the first president, thus putting himself in danger of being the next office drone to spontaneously blow up.

Filmmakers Brandon and Jared Drake succeed in crafting a vision of the future that is bleak and strange yet undoubtedly hopeful, and they create a compelling character in the form of Winsterhammerman, who absorbs the pain of a suppressed population and acts as a catalyst for change. This role is a challenging one, but in addition to having a gift for physical comedy, Zach G. is a capable dramatic actor and turns in an excellent performance overall. A master of subtlety and simmering emotion, Galifianakis doesn’t need Mike Tyson’s tiger—or even a man purse—to draw laughs. As his character searches for meaning in a world that is nearly devoid of passion and creativity, moments of bizarre comedy and human warmth break through the façade, making this an enthralling and likable alternative to standard movie fare.

Visioneers will be released on DVD July 21, but the guys at the Alamo love the movie so much that they’re hosting a screening on Sunday night. No matter how you go about it, we highly recommend that you check out this darkly funny and refreshingly unconventional film.