Set in Shanghai in the near future, CODE 46 takes place in a world where in-vitro fertilization, embryo splitting, and cloning have become so widespread that the government monitors all pregnancies to avoid incestuous births, whether on purpose or accidental. In Michael Winterbottom's science-fiction love story, Tim Robbins stars as Will, a fraud investigator who shows up at the huge Sphinx corporation to find out which employee has been making fake papelles--identity papers that allow people to travel. With an empathy virus inside of him so he can read people's minds, Will discovers that Maria Gonzalez (Samantha Morton) is the culprit, but he instantly falls in love with her and turns in someone else in her place, leading to a dangerous affair that jeopardizes his family, his career, and his life.
The blossoming romance between Will and Maria is reminiscent of the classic BRIEF ENCOUNTER, in which two people are willing to risk so much for true love. Winterbottom, who previously scored such indie hits as 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE and WONDERLAND, combines with screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, Academy Award winner Robbins, and Oscar nominee Morton in creating a unique vision of a technologically advanced but emotionally vapid future--except for those citizens who have been banished to the outside, where they struggle every day but have a greater understanding of what's real. CODE 46 is filled with twists, with the unexpected waiting around every corner, but at the heart of the film is the heartbreaking relationship between two compelling cinematic characters.
IN THEATRES: AUGUST 6, 2004 (NY/LA)
DVD Features:
Region [unknown]
Keep Case
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Surround Sound 5.1 English
Cameo
Mick Jones: Performer/Songwriter
Director of Photography
Alwin Kuchler: director of photography, ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER
Executive Producer
David M. Thompson: BRITISH PRODUCER/BBC
Executive Producer
Robert Jones: Producer
Director of Photography
Marcel Zyskind: Director of Photography, IN THIS WORLD (2003)
Review 1:
"[I]ngeniously designed and photographed..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.62 08/13/2004
Review 2:
"[Q]uietly intense..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.49 10/01/2004
Review 3:
"Provocative, quietly erotic, deeply romantic and slyly witty..."
Source: Premiere
p.34 07/01/2004
Review 4:
"[With] provocative ideas..."
Source: Uncut
p.140 10/01/2004
Review 5:
"[A] stunning, moody stab at science fiction..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.163 12/30/2004
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