May 11–18, 2000

movie shorts

Time Code

Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas, Miss Julie, The Loss of Sexual Innocence) is one of the most pretentious bastards ever to walk the earth, so it’s a surprise and a relief that Time Code, his hop onto the digital filmmaking bandwagon, isn’t a head-twisting bore. Even more shocking, it’s a fairly successful entertainment. Normally, that’s nothing to set off fireworks about, but since Time Code is structured as a four-panel grid with four cameras following 27 characters around the streets of LA — not to mention the fact that the film was shot live and without cuts — it’s a pretty impressive achievement. The film’s story is nothing much; set in the film industry, it’s your standard tale of wannabe starlets and depressed producers, junkie directors and scheming love affairs. Since the cast ranges from Holly Hunter to Salma Hayek, it’s no surprise the performances are uneven, and the improvised dialogue is less than inspired. Still, though it probably doesn’t merit a second viewing, watching Time Code is a fascinating experience, if only because it reveals how easy it’s become for us to take on more than one image at once.

See Sam Adams’ interview with director Mike Figgis.

—Sam Adams