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karen_miller1981
Reviews
Robot Stories (2003)
A science fiction film with heart
I remembered this film after seeing two more science fiction films recently, NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX and PRIMER. All three are extremely low budget meditations on the relationship between technology and human identity. This one is the hardest to comment on, because it's a collection of short stories that differ somewhat in quality; but on the whole, ROBOT STORIES deserves its place with the other two as part of a real renaissance in American independent "science fiction" film-making.
I put science fiction in quotes, because these films are more more about the human soul and if there can even be such a thing in this brave new world we live in, than they are about the actual new forms technology might take, though PRIMER is probably the best on little science details, if you like that.
To anyone reading this comment, I'd suggest you try to see all three. They represent an exciting movement in American independent movies.
Nightingale in a Music Box (2002)
Saw it in London and loved it
I was visiting London planning to see things like Buckingham Palace and the big shows when I saw a poster advertising the Sci Fi London Film Festival. I noticed this film was showing. A friend in Chicago had told me I had to see it if I got a chance, and since I didn't think I'd have much chance in Pittsburgh, I decided to go.
I'm very glad I did. NIGHTINGALE is a very suspenseful and thought provoking thriller made from the simplest means possible. It features great performances from two actresses, Kelly Hazen and Catherine O'Connor. I mention them, because I've never heard of them before, but they deserve recognition. I hope to see them again. (I also liked the third actor, a Polish actor named Andrzej Krukowski, but it was clear in the Q & A after the showing that not everyone did. )
To be honest, I was kind of surprised a guy could write this film. The female characters were so smart and strong without ever being shrill or pushy. They never thought about romance. They didn't look to men to save or help them at any point. It was clear one of the agents didn't like having a woman giving him orders, but it never became an issue; and she either didn't notice it or didn't care.
After the screening I introduced myself to the director, and he said if I liked NIGHTINGALE, I should also see another film at the Fest, PRIMER by Shane Carruth, which I did. I liked it a lot too. So I ended up spending a good deal of my time in London watching American Sci-Fi Films, although I'm not sure I'd classify NIGHTINGALE as science fiction. PRIMER turns out to have distribution, and I'm sure it's going to be on DVD; but I'm particularly glad I saw NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX, because I don't know that I'll ever have another chance to see it. I really hope it doesn't just disappear off the face of the earth. If you get a chance to see it, I'd jump at it.
Primer (2004)
Good film!
I took a trip to London, and what did I end up doing? Seeing two American sci-fi films at the Sci-Fi London Film Festival. PRIMER was one of them. NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX by Hurt McDermott was the other. Both are very good movies. I would group them with Greg Pak's ROBOT STORIES which came out the year before and say this is a very good time for low budget, independent films about the relationship between advanced technology and the human condition. Or to put it another way, can technology change what it means to be human?
I know some people think PRIMER is too obscure, but I'd answer that what makes it special is that Shane Carruth has made it so tricky to figure out exactly what's going on - which puts you in the exact same position as the lead characters experimenting with a new technology. Without his withholding of information to keep the audience working (a good thing if you ask me), PRIMER would just be another morality tale about scientists going too far.
In this way, PRIMER is closer to ROBOT STORIES than NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX. ROBOT STORIES leans on the "heart" side while PRIMER leans on the "head" side, but both are really well done descendants of the TWILIGHT ZONE. NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX is more a thriller which happens to deal with the fact that as we mess with our brains with new drugs and technology, we don't really know who we are anymore.
The other thing really good about PRIMER is that although it's confusing, he gives you clues about how to watch it. When one of the characters says, "What is this thing?" you know the director's saying he knows we're asking the same thing about the movie we're watching. We might not always know the answer, but we're always interested in finding out.