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Poster for Bartleby

Bartleby

2001 · 85 min

A deadpan, surreal office comedy that slowly turns into a quiet tragedy about refusal and human connection.

Directed by
Jonathan Parker
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Tagline
I would prefer not to.
Overview
An adaptation of Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener" told in the setting of a modern office.

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Directed by
Jonathan Parker
Genres
Comedy, Drama
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • isolation
  • work
  • identity
  • obsession
  • death
Places
  • workplace
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour5
Realism6
Romance1
Tension4
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

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