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 [es] Official site [us]

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

"No Man's Land"
Written by David Holmes
Published by Universal/Island Music Ltd
Performed by David Holmes
Courtesy of Polydor UK Ltd
Licensed by kind permission from the
Universal Film and TV Licensing Division

User Reviews

Xlnt moody shots, subtle and restrained FX but poor storyline.

First of all I was impressed by the moody shots of Shanghai and the other locations used. Almost had that Blade Runner feel for planting you in a believable future. So many films of this genre, and with massively higher budgets, often fail to achieve the lightness of touch shown here. Not the usual obviously nailed-on FX, but instead subtle and credible gizmos with the personalised touch, like Maria's cuckoo-call tone and graphics on her personal organiser that William uses when trying to find her. And the Esperanto-style combination of phrases everyone uses, from Spanish, French, Chinese etc could easily be envisaged in years to come.

But what really let it down ultimately was the story. Just at the point where you wanted the narrative to move up a gear, instead it just hung there and became a bit self-indulgent. The actors made an excellent job of an often dull script. Maybe the writer couldn't think how to end it. A shame, as it was an opportunity squandered in my opinion.

I got the feeling that Frank Cottrell Boyce, though coming up with some thought - provoking ideas in this film and having done excellent work elsewhere, possibly needed to have collaborated with another writer that could have injected some pace and fresh perspective just at the point the film ran out of steam. I'm a great fan of Michael Winterbottom's (especially on "Jude")evocative and atmospheric camera-work, but that alone couldn't salvage the film from ultimately being disappointing.