Code 46 (2003)

A futuristic Brief Encounter (1945), this is a love story in which the romance is doomed by genetic incompatibility.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Stars:

Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri

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

This movie 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 Geld (Tim Robbins) 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 Gonzales (Samantha Morton). 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: twenty-four hours. Back home, William is...

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Plot Keywords:

vagina | shaved labia | labia | scantily clad female | shower | 

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Taglines:

Can a single moment ever disappear completely?

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

The numerous seeming "errors in geography" are actually an intentional artistic choice. Because the film is set in a future where global cultures have become thoroughly merged, Michael Winterbottom purposely blended footage shot in Shanghai, Dubai and Rajastahn so that Shanghai has a desert outside it, etc.

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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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Crazy Credits

There is a looped animation running next to the names during the final credits. It shows a variety of things, including chromosomes, chromosome replication, and chemical structures.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Collateral/Code 46/Stander/Little Black Book/Festival Express (2004)

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Soundtracks

Should I Stay or Should I Go
Written by Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Topper Headon (uncredited) and Paul Simonon (uncredited)
Published by Nineden Limited Administered by Universal Music
Performed by Mick Jones
Arranged by Josh Hyams and Mark Revell

User Reviews

Why this film is 'real'

I loved this film! It was (to my cinematographically uncultured palate, at least) different, and the characters seemed quite unconventional. Rather than just hollow acting, I found Tim Robbins' character to be a mental curve ball, which completely altered the way the film played out. It hinted at the socialisation and culture prevalent at the time.

I also enjoyed the (much-disputed) foreign terms slipped into the conversation - they weren't too frequent, and added a dimension - that there had been purely aesthetic as well as techno/political changes. As English becomes more dominant and other languages in the minority (and therefore more culturally significant), it is likely that foreign terms will be leaked, from the age-old Caucasian tradition of borrowing culture if nothing else.

I also loved the fact that the cityscapes were all filmed to imply the future, rather than CG'd or whatever.

The storyline was innovative, and there were many dead-ends which fleshed out the story and made it less linear. Unlike some, I easily followed the storyline, and I'm rather confused that some people felt that it didn't seem to touch on Code 46 itself much.

Interesting concepts, combined with a sense of triviality surrounding much of the technology, helped to create a more textured world, and while nothing was really explained, the evidence was there for you to draw your own conclusions. If you like thinking, definitely watch this film.

~pr0ph37~

Details

Official Sites:

Manga Films [Spain] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Code 46

Filming Locations:

Shanghai Airport - Shanghai, China

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,170, 8 August 2004

Gross USA:

$285,585

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$886,018

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1