An extremely interesting animated film about the usage of drugs and a very serious and subliminal collage of messages about our society and the people in it.

This film also plays a significant role in exploring the concept of identity.

There are many beautiful quotes throughout the movie that you should pay attention to.

At the beginning, it will become increasingly confusing to fully understand what’s going on—I myself had difficulty comprehending the plotlines and the point of some scenes.

Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) plays a man working undercover for a secret police agency aiming to put an end to the distribution of a drug called “Substance D.” In his line of work, Arctor wears a special suit composed of over a million different identities, randomly switching between them every second, making it impossible for anyone to determine his true identity.

Substance D is derived from a blue flower, processed into a red pill, and typically taken in doses of two or three. The symptoms of its use include dysfunctional hearing, distorted reality, loss of identity, and an altered perception of existence.

Bob Arctor is assigned to investigate a group suspected of being involved in selling Substance D.

Little does he know, he is actually under investigation himself.

By the end of the film, we see that Arctor has been set up by his own agency—they manipulated him into becoming addicted to Substance D so he could be admitted into a rehab facility and transferred to a farm where the police suspect the drug is being grown.

This becomes clear in the final scene, where Arctor, now at the farm, recites:

“I saw death rising from the earth,
From the ground itself,
In one,
Blue field.”

This quote, if not already obvious, refers to the blue flowers that produce Substance D. As Arctor begins to see them, we can assume he is slowly regaining some part of his identity and/or cognitive function.

This film not only critiques how governments and corporations manipulate people for their own purposes but also highlights how those who attempt to challenge societal norms or bring about change are swiftly shut down by those in positions of power.

Bob’s Three “Friends”

Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane)

Charles Freck is more of an acquaintance than a close friend to the others. Introduced early in the film, we first see him experiencing a hallucination—bugs crawling all over his body—one of the effects of his cocaine addiction.

Later in the film, Charles attempts suicide, likely because he realizes he cannot cope with reality. However, by the end, we see him in the same rehab facility as Arctor, suggesting that authorities found him before he could die and admitted him to treatment.

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James Barris (Robert Downey Jr.)

James Barris—played by Robert Downey Jr., who is essentially just playing himself here—is smart, clever, an asshole, fast-talking, and slick.

Barris is one of the main people Arctor is investigating. Ironically, Barris is also investigating Arctor.

Barris doesn’t officially work for the police, but he desperately wants to. He presents “evidence” of drug and weapon smuggling to law enforcement, attempting to frame Arctor as being involved in the selling and use of Substance D.

Meanwhile, hidden cameras in Arctor’s house are watching Barris to determine whether he is involved in the drug trade.

If this sounds confusing, here’s the breakdown: Arctor is living with these people, pretending to be their friend, doing drugs with them, and blending in to gather intel.

Where Barris isn’t wrong, however, is that Arctor is addicted to Substance D. But he didn’t start out as an addict—it was part of his job. He needed to take the drug to maintain trust.

Of course, as we learn at the end, this was all part of the company’s plan—but you’ll need to watch the film to fully grasp how deep it goes.

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Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson)

Ernie Luckman is the loud, crazy, somehow incredibly intelligent, laid-back, hippie-type of the group.

While he is part of the investigation, his role in the film is fairly minor. His primary purpose is to create drama—especially in his ongoing fights with Barris, as the two seem to have known each other for years.

Beyond that, he doesn’t contribute much to the overall story.

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Donna Hawthorn (Winona Ryder)

(Spoiler Alert)

Donna is also an undercover cop, working for the same agency as Arctor.

Her assignment? Get Arctor hooked on Substance D so they can send him to rehab—the place where they suspect Substance D is being produced.

Of course, this is all happening without Arctor’s knowledge.

He only sees Donna as his girlfriend or lover and has no idea that she is actually his superior (thanks to the identity-concealing suits).

Sometimes, Donna stays at Arctor’s house—not just to investigate him, but also to make sure Barris continues investigating Arctor as well. Barris is collecting “evidence” that Arctor is becoming addicted to Substance D—exactly what the agency wants to happen.

(Important note: Donna herself isn’t responsible for this; she’s simply following the agency’s orders.)

If you enjoy films with experimental animation, subliminal messaging, themes of identity loss, and Keanu Reeves & Robert Downey Jr. being their usual selves, A Scanner Darkly is worth watching.

Oh, and as for the title?

It comes from this passage in the film:

“What does the scanner see?
Into the head?
Down into the heart?
Does it see into me?
Into us?
Clearly or darkly?

I hope it sees clearly because I can no longer see into myself,
I see only murk.

I hope, for the scanner’s sake, that everyone sees better.

Because if the scanner sees only darkly, the way I do,
Then I’m cursed,
And cursed again,
And I’ll only wind up dead this way,
Knowing very little,
And getting that little fragment,
Wrong.”

— Philip K. Dick, 74:29 (Movie Time)