CODE 46
This futuristic film concentrates on the human factor, but you might wish you had a smart robot to decode this new world order!
2-1/2 stars [(2003)UK/Rated R (frontal nudity)] - (1 hr. 30 min.)
Distributor: United Artists
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Music: The Free Association
Characters/Cast
William Geld (the investigator) - Tim Robbins
Maria Gonzalez (the suspect) - Samantah Morton
Review:
Director Michael Winterbottom ("In this World") has taken even a broader world view of the view than director Ridley Scott offerred in "Bladerunner." However, there are no robots or 'replicants' running around this possible future.
Instead the entire world language has been absorbed across the board. So greetings like 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' are now replaced with 'Salaam' and 'Adios'. 'How are you?' is the French 'ca va?' and so on.
In addition, all of the invitro fertilization and cloning experiments have forced the World government to enforce DNA rules to eliminate incestuous pregnancies. If a couple wants to have sex their DNA strands must be compared and if they have a genetic match they're banned from having sex.
Okay, those are the ground rules, but what happens if a man travelling out of town runs into an interesting woman and goes to bed with her before doing the DNA analysis? What if he returns to see said female again only to find her in a hospital with her memory erased so that she doesn't remember ever having met him?
And what's more, who's to determine how much DNA information can be considered incestuous material if the two parties in question were raised by different 'nurture' families are only related genetically (turns out she was fertilized using material from his longdead mother).
If any of the preceding sounds remotely interesting or fascinating to you then this may be the film for you. And although I enjoyed the moody music and photography as well as the performances of two of my favorite actors (Tim Robbins & Samantha Morton), I really feel that you should know that this in not your typical Hollywood experience.
The situations are presented very realistically with a lot of handheld camera work, and if it weren't for the odd terminology this could be a sort of futuristic "Lost in Translation" type experience (without the laughs).
There is also a whole other plotline involving forged limited passports (called 'papelles'), but the suspense and intrigue is kept to a minimum in order to focus on the more personal story of two people in love with just a little too much in common (DNA-wise).
Use your own judgement on this one, but if you like your films on the 'different' side of the spectrum, then this might be your kind of romantic/sci-fi experience.
May take more than one viewing to get used to the lingo, too!
With
Backland (the client) - Om Puri
Sylvie Geld (the wife) - Jeanne Balibar
Jack Geld (her son) - Taro Sherabayani
Damian Alekan - David Fahm
William's Boss - Shelley King
Clinic Doctor - Kerry Shale
Code 46 GLOSSARY
Papelles - Travel Insurance
Virus - Mental enhancement, can vary from language translation to empathy (mindreading capabilities) to sex-inhibitors (to avoid Code 46 violations)
Mai Lin Clinic - Performs 'Code 46'-required memory cluster erasures & abortions (as needed)
Jebal'ali - City on the Outside in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cover - Usually a time limit set on travel to other cities, if you are not a resident of the city you are in you can't leave without 'cover'
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