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TIME CODE Send This Review to a Friend
Mike Figgis's new film "Time Code" should scare the daylights out of those bound to conventional movie company production and inspire others unafraid of major change. In a bold experiment, Figgis assembled 28 actors who would improvise around his predetermined story line. Then he shot an entire film in real time (93 minutes) using hand-held digital cameras. The process was repeated until there were some 60 films from which to choose. The result is a story told in a four-section split-screen format that keeps an audience watching the various sections and taking cues from the sound levels as to which to concentrate most on at given moments. The characters sometimes move from one section to another, and are interrelated in various ways as the film moves toward a climax.
Others have used split screens before, as Andy Warhol did in "The Chelsea Girls" (1966), but the totality of what Figgis has done, combined with his plunge into the digital revolution, makes "Time Code" special. Of course, as with every technology used for cinema, success with audiences still boils down to the quality of the story itself. Figgis's tale, while hardly earth shattering, becomes amusing once one gets the hang of how to watch it. It is basically a satirical look at the Hollywood film scene, with actresses confronting the casting couch and production companies looking for a hit, plus behind the scenes machinations as well as sexual relationships, gay and straight, all culminating in a shooting, which has been tipped off at the outset.
The wittiest gambit is a scene at a production company meeting in which an adventurous filmmaker, played by Mia Maestra, makes a pitch for exactly the kind of film that Figgis has made, complete with her informational lecture on film history and the contrast between montage and the different concept she is advancing. The joke is compounded by the skepticism with which she is greeted. Much of what is projected lacks immediate excitement, but every once in a while interest is piqued, by a sexual encounter, an argument, the threat of violence, California earth rumbles, humor, or just the pleasure, for this viewer at least, of watching some attractive actresses at work.
The large cast includes Saffron Burrows, Salma Hayek, Glenne Headly, Holly Hunter, Julian Sands, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Steven Weber, and Kyle McLachlan. The sets are minimal, and the entire project, apart from the four areas of focus for an audience, stresses what's happening without any effort to provide frills.
The experts tell us that one day shooting movies on film will be obsolete. Figgis proves what can be done digitally in a dramatic way, and "Time Code" should be seen as a technological event, as well as a different way of storytelling. Besides, if you too are adventurous, you might just enjoy watching the film itself. A Screen Gems release.
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