Daft Punk's "Electroma" has a pretty simple story: two robots attempt to become human, fail, then wander a desert landscape until they destroy themselves. Thematically, I wouldn't see why it shouldn't be taken at face value, though if you want to get technical about it I suppose it does have some things to say about plastic surgery, alienation, and conformity.

This movie's real focus resides, however, on the visuals. It's use of music and it's sense of surrealism, plus the fact that it has such a slight story, lends it to the inevitable comparison to music videos, but even that's not quite getting to the unique way the two directors use music and imagery. For one thing, the movie is shot in video and the movie often jumps or halts while panning, giving a sort of POV from the electronic minds of the protagonists (they are billed simply Hero 1 and Hero 2). Secondly, the soundtrack is just as ready to use environmental noise as it is music to hold the moment.

It could have been shorter. Most of the screen time is spent on the robots walking or driving through the desert landscape, staring at the other robots in the world or just watching the road or dunes. I think in this case Daft Punk were trying to make the movie fit into feature length presentation, though I suppose an argument into the monotony and blankness of the robots mechanical lives isn't unwarranted. The problem, however, is that after several long takes of repeated imagery, one hopes that it'll eventually lead to some form of action.

Still, the imagery is pretty gorgeous, and the middle scenes (involving the modeling, the robot society's reaction, and the abandoned bathroom) are pretty much 100% fascinating. This might be a good movie to see on DVD--watch the landscape traveling until it gets repetitive, then skip to the next scene of action.

--PolarisDiB

A universe away from the 70's glam kitsch of Daft Punk's INTERSTELLA 5555 (of which I am also an admirer) ELECTROMA is another work which defies easy categorisation, which one will love or hate with equal fervour. It's also another set in the future. but an entirely different one to the rhythmically paced anime of the previous effort. Two robots set out to be human, amidst the expanse of a mostly uninhabited American hinterland, playing out their destinies in an entirely wordless, sometimes meditative setting. Unlike INTERSTELLA too, there is more silence here while what music there is comes from disparate sources as Brian Eno, Haydn and Allegri. As another reviewer has said : "If Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and Jean-Luc Godard (with Francois Truffaut in a consultancy role) had been asked to collaborate on a film about androids, this is probably exactly what they would have come up with..." .. to which can be added some influences too from the futuristic sterility of such films as THX1138, as well as perhaps some of the philosophical road moves of the 70's like VANISHING POINT or TWO LANE BLACKTOP, road movies where significant travel by its definition never comes to a conclusion. This while the questioning of what exactly it means to be human is a concern familiar from the works of Philip K Dick. Entirely without dialogue, slow but strangely moving, the experience offered by ELECTROMA is ultimately just as profound as the viewer allows or wants it to be, and some have undoubtedly found it pretentious or tedious. Over its 70 minutes I found it memorable and affecting, a film which simply has to be accepted at its own pace. Without the distractions of dialogue one is forced to concentrate on issues elsewhere, with some striking images and scenes along the way - notably one of a burning robot striding to extinction through the desert, or the sad melting faces, like carnival masks, of those who seek to assume humaness. Whether or not Hero Robots 1 & 2 achieve what they want despite it all is a matter of interpretation as much as the film in which they appear. It's an experiment in its own way, just as much as the group's last was, but once again Daft Punk show just what an achievement off the wall film making offers for the adventurous, at least away from the popularist demands of Hollywood. Were that other musicians so creative on screen. Recommended.

(www.plasticpals.com) Electroma is the story of two robots (Daft Punk) who break from the norm to express their inner individuality in a world populated by robots, with disastrous consequences. This is an experimental film with no dialog whatsoever, running a generous 74 minutes, and some people may feel it drags on a bit in parts. Even fans of Daft Punk may be left scratching their heads since it doesn't feature their music but, supposedly, it syncs up with their album Human After All ala Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz. If you are not into experimental film you will probably much prefer their animated excursion, Interstella 5555, which I highly recommend.

I haven't tried synchronizing it to their album but I enjoyed it just fine, though it should be said I'm a fan of unusual movies. The photography is very professional considering they are amateur film makers, and there's enough here to keep your interest, all without the need for words. I hope they'll continue exploring their visual creativity through cinema in the future, and if it sounds like something you might enjoy, check it out.