Electroma (2006)

(www.plasticpals.com) Electroma is the story of two robots (Daft Punk) who break from the norm to express their inner individuality in a world populated by robots, with disastrous consequences. This is an experimental film with no dialog whatsoever, running a generous 74 minutes, and some people may feel it drags on a bit in parts. Even fans of Daft Punk may be left scratching their heads since it doesn't feature their music but, supposedly, it syncs up with their album Human After All ala Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz. If you are not into experimental film you will probably much prefer their animated excursion, Interstella 5555, which I highly recommend.I haven't tried synchronizing it to their album but I enjoyed it just fine, though it should be said I'm a fan of unusual movies. The photography is very professional considering they are amateur film makers, and there's enough here to keep your interest, all without the need for words. I hope they'll continue exploring their visual creativity through cinema in the future, and if it sounds like something you might enjoy, check it out.

It begins like a 70's Road Movie filmed by Antonioni and it ends like Gus Van Saint's "Gerry" with robots instead of humans. "Electroma" is an experimental trip that supposedly completes Daft Punk's last album : "Human after all" like "Interstella 5555" completed "Discovery" (but the two projects, beside their experimental faces, are here merely link one with another, whereas the last movie had strong connections with the album and the video clips). Here's a few things to know before watching this movie if you don't want to be too surprise or disappointed : it has absolutely no dialogs in it, the story is linear and simple and allows long experimental and contemplative sequences and the soundtrack isn't made by Daft Punk (even if it's omnipresent and very good : Brian Eno, Sebastien Tellier, Gregory Allegri...).The movie is clearly divided in three parts, each lasts approximately 20 minutes long, except the desert part, which may be a little bit longer (but that may be a subjective impression...)SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE MOVIE. The first part is a road movie, with a video clip's editing style, where you see the two Daft Punk Robots traveling across the California desert. The references of the musicians are clearly shown here : the movie effectually looks like a crossover between "2001, a space Odyssey" and "Easy Rider", with robots in a big black car. The scene is rather pleasant, very aesthetically, and seems like a long and beautiful video clip d'auteur or like a 70's art video.The second part is a mix between "THX 1138" and a grotesque horror movie, with the Daft Punk arriving in a typically American city full of robots, where they experience a operation, that transforms them to human, after all. They come out of the laboratory with caricature faces, and walk through the city, where the other robots stare at them with their surprised artificial eyes. But their carnival figures melt like ice-cream in the sun, and they have to get ride of them rather rapidly, and to become the Daft Punk again. The last part fallows the two robots in the desert, where they walk and walk, and walk again (they're robots, they're never tired or hungry, they can walk endlessly...). There's then this secession of desert's frames, finishing with Courbet's "L'Origine du monde", that is rather ridiculous, but wakes the spectator up (I have to say that the movie is released in one Theatre in Paris, and has a unique weekly projection the Saturday at midnight !). SPOILER AHEAD (even if it's merely a narrative movie).Then, the two robots get tired of walking and even of living a robot's life : one explodes in a "Zabriskie Point"'s style, the other becomes the Human Torch (or the Robot Torch). END OF TELLING THE END OF THE MOVIE.The all thing is a pleasant but rather unoriginal (too many references) experimental movie, that links video clip with artistically experience and cinema.

I saw Daft Punk's Electroma late last night at the Stockholm Filmfestival. This was right after seeing Gondry's "The Science of Sleep" which was brilliant! This evening turned out to be a great french evening.. Even though I have always been a big fan of Daft Punk's music, especially their live performances, I didn't really think that I would enjoy Electroma that much, but I was wrong! I was really touched by this story of two Robots (the members in daft punk) trying to become human. The theme is similar to that of their latest album "Human After All". It reminded me of Kubrick/Spielberg's "A.I", but Electroma is much more symbolical and humans play a less important role. The movie depicts the robots desire to be unique and human, and just like "Stalker" and other Tarkovsky movies the scenes are very long and for the most part there is no music just background noise, this made me really get into the movie. The whole movie is fantastic but the high rating is mostly due to the ending which is crazy good! I don't know if Daft Punk's robot-era is over after this movie, but I'm looking forward to seeing more stuff from them.This is probably a movie that many people might find boring because it is a very silent and slow movie (heard a guy in front of me snoring..) but give it a chance... The french are not as stupid as the look! oh and the music is not daft punk, but I heard some Brian Eno and Curtis Mayfield, overall the music choices were excellent! Merci;)

I think there is a lot to be said about experimental film. I saw the film on the beach at Cannes, and for all I know, the guys could have been sitting next to me. In a search for a human existence, two robots wander somewhat endlessly until they finally find a way to end it all. The film is making a remarkable statement on today's world. It raises so many great questions, and the only problem is that sitting through two hours of wandering characters takes an audiences expectations to another level. Fellini was able to allow his characters to roam, but in that wandering so much happened, and his characters were intellectually credible. In the case of Electroma, the lack of events is very anti-film. Everything which they have done with this film leaves the audience questioning, why? We love films because of what happens in them, not because of what doesn't happen. I think that Daft Punk's attempt to find something else in this medium is quite brilliant, yet it falls short of entertainment. The visual means in which they reached certain points was incredible, but finding a way through the monotony was difficult for some. The ending was fantastic though, and I wish they push the limits even more in their next take on film.We are all robots who sculpt our own plastic faces. We are all wandering robots with no place to fit in. Maybe I am analyzing too much, but to go to such realms with out symbolism in some higher meaning would be a waste. Perhaps that is what they were out to do. Perhaps they were just creating a (beautiful) moving painting. Maybe just messing with our heads. Regardless, they were up to something, and we will just have to see what comes next to see whether or not they're full of it.I do give them credit for the silence. It spoke louder than any music they've ever written.