Code 46

If there's one thing Michael Winterbottom (Welcome to Sarajevo, The Claim) has perfected in the last ten years it's flying-under-the-radar. He probably holds the record for least-known filmmaker ever to make 10 well-reviewed, commercially released films. This phenomenon continued in 2004 with Code 46, one of Winterbottom's best films to date. Unfortunately, his sensibilities are extremely inaccessible and even his greatest achievements are doomed to gather dust on the shelves of video stores. This serious, intelligent, and very adult film is unlikely to change that but those who already admire Winterbottom should find a great deal to enjoy.

So what's a code 46? It's a futuristic regulation that prohibits couples with similar genetic make-ups from engaging in sexual activity and/or having children. While investigating a potential identity forger, William (Tim Robbins, giving his most relaxed performance in years) commits a code 46 with the subject of his investigation (Samantha Morton, who should let her hair grow or risk becoming the Sinead O'Connor of actresses). Arrests are made, memories are erased, and further infractions committed.

Admittedly, this is an uncharacteristically oblique and difficult film. Viewers who struggle with a European art film sensibility - namely, those who couldn't sit through Lost in Translation - need not apply. But patient viewers may be won-over by this refreshing twist on existing sci-fi formulae. Like Steven Soderbergh's Solaris re-make, Code 46 emphasizes "people, not gadgets," as Samantha Morton observes in the DVD featurette, and it's also a surprisingly intimate love story with echoes of Michel Gondry's far more palatable Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

This disc features a solid widescreen (2.35:1) transfer that accurately conveys the film's unusual, de-saturated color-scheme. However, consistent with past DVD releases of Winterbottom films, extra features are sparse. There's a misleading trailer that suggests far more excitement than the filmmakers ever intended, as well as 4 brief deleted scenes totaling less than 3 minutes. Other than a few striking elevator shots (in the scene entitled "The Lift"), these scenes don't offer much.

The only other feature is a surprisingly dense and analytical featurette entitled "Obtaining Cover: Inside Code 46." Littered with references to Freud, Sophocles, and genetics, this is one of the most high-brow DVD features in recent memory. The featurette also offers rare glimpses of Winterbottom and his regular screenwriter Frank Cottrel Boyce who developed the project together while shooting 24 Hour Party People.

There's even a brief discussion of technical considerations such as the choice to shoot three-perf, rather than four-perf, an exceedingly dry topic that is likely to interest me and about 5 or 6 other film geeks worldwide. And I applaud MGM for that. They've included a truly rare commodity on this disc: an informative, worthwhile featurette. In 17 minutes, we get more information and detail than the average audio commentary contains in two hours. Even in the age of 3 and 4-disc sets, this single disc release proves that quality still substitutes nicely for quantity. -- Jonathan Doyle