I saw the film Code 46 in 2005, and since then I’ve always thought something was amiss. How did this brilliant, cerebral sci-fi film completely slip through the cracks?
No one seemed to talk about it upon its release in 2004, despite strong performances from Tim Robbins and a young Samantha Morton—fresh off the excellent Minority Report (2002), which explored similar themes. And now, two decades later, Code 46 remains frustratingly underappreciated.
The story offers a deeper, more grounded take on the ideas behind 1997's Gattaca. While Gattaca presented a polished parable about privilege, genetics, and the nature vs. nurture debate, Code 46 roots its dystopian vision in a more plausible and chilling reality. Tim Robbins plays a fraud investigator tasked with tracking down a counterfeiter producing fraudulent papels—documents that act as a combined residency permit and passport for the gleaming city-states of the future.
Armed with an "empathy virus" that allows him to intuit the thoughts of others, Robbins’ character quickly identifies his culprit. Yet he becomes infatuated with her, and their subsequent affair, along with its fallout, propels the story forward. Without spoiling too much, the film’s use of real-world locations plays a significant role in building its semi-dystopian setting. Shanghai’s rapidly modernizing skyline creates a credible vision of these contented, antiseptic city-states, where citizens speak a hybrid argot of English, Chinese, Spanish, and French, record moments via contact lenses, and save memories with their fingerprints. Later scenes move outside the city-states, offering an evocative contrast by depicting the barren, ecologically damaged "outside" through stunning shots of the Port of Jebel Ali and Rajasthan in India.
The restrained but distinctive art direction, paired with the decision to lightly dress modern urban environments, gives the film an enduringly fresh aesthetic. The world of Code 46 feels lived-in and unsettlingly familiar. Its technology—sickly, antiseptic, and unnervingly mundane—stands in stark contrast to the sleek, high-concept design of many of its sci-fi contemporaries.
The atmosphere is further elevated by David Holmes’ mesmerising score, created under his Free Association project. A blend of ambient techno, Sigur Rós-inspired post-rock soundscapes, and shoegaze-infused guitars perfectly complements the film's washed-out Gen-X soft-club aesthetic.
If you enjoyed the slower, mood-driven beats of sci-fi films like Her (2013) or Ad Astra (2019), Code 46 should be in your lane.
Trailer
