Code 46

REVIEW
Maybe by 2030, cloning, in vitro fertilization and embryo splitting are such prevalent practices that prospective mates must be genetically screened to insure against inadvertent inbreeding, since so many people are related without knowing it. Those restrictions are set forth in Code 46, Article 1, of a document that's never identified. The film presents an imprecisely defined world both foreign and recognizable: one takes a virus to learn a language, so speech moves fluidly from one language to another; one cannot travel without papelles (travel insurance), which can apparently be withheld without explanation; the cities have grown to gargantuan proportions, accessible only through checkpoints; those off the grid, outside the cities, exist marginally in barren, desert wastelands. In this world where every detail of your life is available by scanning your thumbprint, intuition is just another commodity. William (Robbins) is called in by a major corporation in Shanghai to intuit which employee is stealing papelles. William's investigation is hampered by his immediate attraction to Maria (Morton), one of the suspects. William's hitherto by-the-book life is jarred by his contact with iconoclastic Maria, who lived long enough on the outside to know a reality beyond the rules. While the film's execution is not completely successful — sometimes unanswered questions impede the narrative flow — it asks questions and stirs debate; for example, where do you draw the line between unlimited freedom and unacceptable risk? Even more so, the film stands as a most affecting love story, with Robbins and Morton delivering intelligent and emotionally involving performances as two lovers with too much in common.