A Scanner Darkly

A 2006 American animated-live-action film in the science fiction and thriller genres, directed by Richard Linklater and based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick. Set in the near future in Orange County, California, America is engulfed by a drug addiction epidemic due to the spread of the dangerous substance "Substance D." The protagonist, Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), is an undercover police officer infiltrated into a group of drug addicts to identify suppliers of "Substance D." The group includes eccentric characters: James Barris (Robert Downey Jr.), a paranoid conspiracy theorist; Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson), a carefree and frivolous addict; Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), a drug dealer and potential love interest of Arctor; and Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane), suffering from hallucinations and paranoia. Arctor, using an anonymizing "scramble suit," keeps his identity secret even from his superiors. However, prolonged use of "Substance D" leads to a split consciousness and loss of self-identification. He begins to suspect Barris of intending to turn him into the police, while Barris himself tries to manipulate the situation to portray Arctor as a drug dealer. Gradually, Arctor loses touch with reality, his mental state deteriorates, and he becomes a patient at the "New Path" rehabilitation center. In the finale, it is revealed that the center is itself involved in the production of "Substance D," using rehabilitants as labor on poppy fields. The film is shot using rotoscoping technique, giving it a unique visual style that combines live-action with animation.