Timecode

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

After watching The Silent House go for the real time single take approach to filmmaking I was reminded of this little gem that I haven't seen in many years. I remember going to see it twice at the cinema just to see if I could take in some more of the four screens that play simultaneously.

When I watch it now the first thing that jumps out at me is the incredible cast that is assembled to improvise there way through the day. When I originally saw it I was only familiar with a handful of them but now I've seen a loved performances from pretty much every single person on screen. And they are asked to do some difficult and interesting things not all of which work.

The film presents a snapshot of various intersecting characters in a film company in L.A. and is filled with all the various types you would expect to be associated with such a place. While I'd argue that there is a main story the point seems to be that you can follow whatever characters take your fancy.

An experimental film if ever I saw one and like all experimental films some of it works and some of it doesn't. Once again the realtime filming means there are often long stretches of not much happening, but the advantage is you always have somewhere else to look if you are bored. The sound works to direct your gaze however one of the cool features on the dvd is that you can interactively choose which picture you want to hear at any given moment. One of the few situations where the home video release adds an important element to a film.

On the whole I really enjoy this film. I was always annoyed that Russian Arc claimed to be the first one take film when this was out two years previous, but in truth it's technically 4 takes at once. Still it's been overlooked and is still extraordinarily hard to find in Australia but well worth seeking out.