Susan Granger’s review of “TIME CODE” (Screen Gems)
British writer/director Mike Figgis (“Leaving Las Vegas,””Miss Julie”) enjoys breaking “out of the box,” and this dark comedy is his most innovative concept. The “timecode” is the cinema technology that allows an editor to synchronize sound and picture so that when a character’s mouth moves, the words come out. But Figgis uses it to show four different versions of 93 minutes in the lives of people at a Los Angeles exploitation-film production company, displayed simultaneously on a quadruple-split screen. What also makes this film unique is that it was shot entirely in one day on high-definition digital video, combining spontaneity with surveillance. Figgis also composed the jazz music score which combines multiple melody lines. That’s the plus. On the minus side, the largely improvised story is an aimless, clichŽ-filled glimpse of the relationships that exist among drug-abusing, philandering gonzo film-makers, ambitious actresses and a revenge killer, all jostled by some earthquakes. Figgis diverts our attention from one section of the screen to another by raising and lowering the vocal volume level. For example, while we’re listening to a psychiatrist (Glenne Headley) with a depressed patient (Saffron Burrows), there’s also a fight ensuing in a limo between two lesbians (Salma Hayek, Jeanne Tripplehorn). Then there are the studios execs (Holly Hunter, Steven Weber) and their movie mogul boss (Stellan Skarsgard) who’s having a nervous breakdown, plus a British masseuse (Julian Sands) with other things on his mind. Confusing, even dizzying, with four simultaneous images, this is novel cinematic experiment. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Time Code” is an inventive, surreal 6. Granted, it’s an edgy, odd gimmick but – for adventurous moviegoers – it works.
