Code 46 (2003)

A futuristic 'Brief Encounter', a love story in which the romance is doomed by genetic incompatibility.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Stars:

Tim Robbins, Togo Igawa, Samantha Morton

4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Robbins	...	William Geld
Togo Igawa	...	Driver
Nabil Elouahabi	...	Vendor
Samantha Morton	...	Maria Gonzales
Sarah Backhouse	...	Weather Girl
Jonathan Ibbotson	...	Boxer
Natalie Mendoza	...	Sphinx Receptionist
Om Puri	...	Bahkland
Emil Marwa	...	Mohan
Nina Fog	...	Wole
Bruno Lastra	...	Bikku
Christopher Simpson	...	Paul
Lien Nguyin	...	Singer in Nightclub
David Fahm	...	Damian Alekan
Jeanne Balibar	...	Sylvie

Storyline

Code 46 is a love story set in a Brave New World-type near-future where cities are heavily controlled and only accessible through checkpoints. People cannot travel unless they have "papeles" (papers in Spanish; words and sentences in many languages, especially Spanish, French and Chinese are mixed with English in this new world), a special travel permit issued by the totalitarian government, the "Sphinx". Outside these cities, the desert has taken over and shanty towns are jammed with non-citizens - people without IDs forced to live primitive lives. William is a family man who works as a government investigator. When he is sent to Shanghai to solve a case of fake IDs, he meets a woman named Maria. Although he realizes she is behind the forgeries, he cannot help but fall completely in love with her. He hides her crime and they have a wild, passionate affair that can only last as long as his visa: 24 hours. Back home, William is obsessed with the memory of Maria. When the original ...

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Plot Keywords:

love | genetics | totalitarian | shanghai | i.d. | 

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Taglines:

How do you solve a crime when the last thing you want to know is the truth?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality, including brief graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Manga Films [Spain] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Código 46

Filming Locations:

Blackwall Tunnel, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$20,170 (USA) (6 August 2004)

Gross:

$197,148 (USA) (27 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Kailash Picture Company, Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Code 46 refers to the 22 chromosome pairs, plus the two sex chromosomes in human beings.

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Goofs

Two not related humans don't have a genetic identity of 0% and if two parents with totally different DNA have a child, the genetic identity between mother or father and child isn't exactly 50%. Even humans and chimpanzees DNA is 98.7% the same. The prohibition of 100%, 50% or 25% genetic identity doesn't make any sense. A more realistic Code 46 would be "Only parents with a genetic identity less than 99.5% are permitted to conceive"

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: code 46 / article 1 / any human being who shares the same nuclear gene set as another human being is deemed to be genetically identical. the relations of one are the relations of all. / due to IVF, DI embryo splitting and cloning techniques it is necessary to prevent any accidental or deliberate genetically incestuous reproduction. / therefore: / i. all prospective parents should be genetically screened before conception. if they have 100%, 50% or 25% genetic identity, they are not...

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Connections

Featured in Obtaining Cover: Inside Code 46 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Row Row Row The Boat"
Traditional

User Reviews

What an intelligent portrayal

I was blown away by the portrayal of a multicultural community of the future. Languages and races all melded together into one global culture. This film is so coy in displaying its intelligence.

Being an average linguist, I loved the usage of Spanish, arabic, mandarin and more mixed in with English. Enough to entice, little enough to avoid viewer confusion. The backdrops of the scenes looked so natural yet foreign.

I was surprised by the sensuality displayed in the latter part of the film...not being used to seeing Robbins in such scenes. the main actress carries a curious beauty and attractiveness throughout her performance.

I was slightly disturbed by the code 46 violation, but not enough to say that this was not a fascinating experience. 7/10