Timecode Review
by Michael Dequina (twotrey AT juno DOT com)April 30th, 2000
_Timecode_ (R) *** (out of ****)
Without question, Mike Figgis has to be one of the most boldly experimental filmmakers working today. So it would only follow that his track record in recent years is among the most inconsistent; gambles wouldn't be labeled as such if they paid off every time. While he hit the jackpot with a little no-budget, 16mm effort called _Leaving _Las_Vegas_, the risks he's taken since haven't been so successful. Last year's non-linear, non-narrative _The_Loss_of_Sexual_Innocence_ was indeed, as he described, his most "personal" film--that incoherent, indulgent jumble could only make sense to him. Immediately prior to that, he tried to do the impossible--turn Joe Eszterhas-originated sleaze cheese into gold--with _One_Night_Stand_. It goes without saying that he couldn't make that work.
It's hard to imagine a more daunting task than that one, but leave it to Figgis to come up with the ultimate sink-or-swim cinematic proposition, which now hits the screen as _Timecode_. The story (or, rather, stories) being told does not qualify as being revolutionary by any stretch. What does, however, is the storytelling--which, to use an overused bit of hyperbole, is unlike anything anyone has seen before. And this time around, the perpetual gambler clearly comes out on top.
Based on the plot alone, the title _Timecode_ would not appear to fit. The film follows a number of characters over as they wander in and around the Ticketmaster building on Sunset Boulevard over a single, continuous stretch of 93 minutes. The primary players: Rose (Salma Hayek), a vivacious aspiring actress; her jealous lover, Lauren (Jeanne Tripplehorn); boozed-up and drugged-out Alex (Stellan Skarsgård), head of the motion picture production company Red Mullet (which also happens to be the name of Figgis' real life production company); and Emma (Saffron Burrows), his unhappy wife.
These and many other characters crisscross during this 93-minute span, not unlike the multicharacter epics made familiar by Robert Altman. This being a Figgis film, though, there is a radically different spin, which is threefold: (1) the film unfolds on a screen split into four quadrants, with each portion following a different character and/or storyline all at once; (2) each of the four "sub-movies" were shot continuously for those 93 minutes, without any cuts, on digital video cameras; and (3) there was no set script, only a basic story outline from which the actors entirely improvised their dialogue and a few storyline turns. The project being entirely dependent on the precise timing of the cast and crew, the title _Timecode_ is only too apt.
A label that perhaps isn't so apt is that of "director" for Figgis. This is not meant as a slight on his work; far from it. His meticulous direction and arrangement of the individual pieces is more befitting of the label of "conductor"--very appropriate, considering that Figgis wrote _Timecode_'s score (as he does with most of his films) and mapped out the entire work on sheet music paper. It's nothing short of astounding how he was able to perfectly sync the four individual pieces, which all seamlessly interlock at various moments in time and tone. But even more impressive is how he makes the four-POV approach feel necessary and not merely as a shameless gimmick (which it is to some degree). If _Timecode_ were edited like a normal film, there's no doubt that some valuable moments of story and especially performance would be lost.
The latter loss would be most unfortunate, for its the actors that makes _Timecode_ more than a cold exercise in the possibilities of digital video technology. The entire cast--which also includes Holly Hunter, Leslie Mann, Kyle MacLachlan, Steven Weber, Alessandro Nivola, and a hilarious Julian Sands (playing a masseur) in smaller roles--appear to be energized by their high wire task, and their immersion into character shines through; none of the improvised dialogue sounds awkward, but rather quite convincing and real. For example, when Rose tells her secret lover to not place a piece of food on a surface because "we just had sex there," it is a natural wisecrack and completely in line with her character.
As well as the improvisation works as a whole, it does contribute to _Timecode_'s biggest shortcoming, which is in the story department. While what goes on is fairly eventful for a 93-minute stretch of life, as a self-contained movie, the plot threads are all fairly thin and "made up as they went along" approach makes for a certain lack of urgency. Despite the fresh visual technique, _Timecode_ still suffers from the same problem of these multicharacter pieces, which is that some plot threads don't work well as others. While most characters jump from quadrant to quadrant as the film progresses and stories overlap, Burrows' Emma remains fixed in the upper right hand corner, and, not surprisingly, her storyline is by far the weakest; she has the least amount of interaction with others, which is the primary catalyst for story developments and interesting moments of improv.
As much as I enjoyed _Timecode_, I am not eager to see every movie employ its revolutionary splitscreen storytelling technique; it does take some getting used to, even when the shifting emphasis of the sound mix helps direct one to the most pertinent action. But if Figgis were able to make something this strange, funny, and exciting to watch without a script, imagine the possibilities of its use at the service of a more concrete story. Unfortunately, that likely won't happen for a long while (if ever), and in the meantime one can only admire Figgis' audacity, for going through with such a crazy idea--and his talent, for making it work.
Michael Dequina
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
