Spike, Mike & the Ethics of Sex

Tonight, as Filmbrain was sitting standing on an overcrowded F train stuck somewhere underneath the East River, he realized that two films he'd seen in the past few days share a similar theme, even though they couldn't be further apart thematically. Both Spike Lee's She Hate Me and Michael Winterbottom's Code 46 deal with some of the more sticky issues regarding sex and reproduction. First off, the big news about She Hate Me is that it is nowhere near as bad as the critics would have you believe. Judging by the scandalous 24% freshness factor at Rottentomatoes, Filmbrain is convinced that there must be some sort of gang Spike-hate going on. This satirical film, while far from his best (and not nearly as clever as Bamboozled), is a highly entertaining affair is genuinely funny at times. At the end of the near-empty Friday evening show that Filmbrain saw in Brooklyn a young woman approached him asking his opinion of the film. She wasn't conducting a survey -- she just simply didn't know what to think, for the film tackles so very much -- AIDS, the pharmaceutical industry, family responsibility, corporate greed, sexual politics, lesbian mothers, non-nuclear families, whistleblowers, etc. Spike has said that the film is meant to address the declining morals and ethics in America -- in both the board- and bedrooms. He wanted to show an America where people are willing to do anything for money, and to create a world where sex, politics, and money all meet. For the most part, he succeeds. Whistleblower Jack Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), fired for exposing corporate dark secrets, is unable to find a new job thanks to a smear campaign by his former company. As luck would have it, his ex-girlfriend Fatima (now a lesbian) turns up at his door with a proposition -- both she and her partner want to become pregnant, and are willing to pay $10,000 for it. Next thing you know, Jack is performing the same service for other financially successful lesbians. Then the trouble begins. Though some have criticized the film for its stereotyping of lesbians and lesbian couples, one thing to keep in mind is that nearly every character is an exaggerated stereotype -- Woody Harrelson as the slimy corporate executive, John Turturro as the textbook Mafia boss, and even Jack's character is the ultra-idealized Harvard MBA-wielding buppie -- but this is essential for satire, is it not? Filmbrain really needs to see this again to figure out how he really feels about it, but he recommends it nonetheless -- it's certainly better than most of the summer dreck out there. Plus, the film features David Bennent, somebody Filmbrain hasn't seen since he played little Oskar Matzerath in 1979's The Tin Drum. (How cool is that, and how on earth did Spike choose him?)

Michael Winterbottom is one of the most interesting directors working today. Refusing to be identified with a particular genre or film style, he is continually re-inventing himself. Though not all the films are brilliant (his best is still 1999's Wonderland), his track record for the last eight years is pretty impressive. His two films from 2002, 24 Hour Party People and In This World (which was all but ignored in this country) were two of the best from that year. 2003's Code 46 (which just opened in NYC) is a peculiar little film -- sort of a cross between Brave New World and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film is set in a near-future dystopia in which the world has clearly gotten a bit smaller (characters speak in a mixture of English, Spanish, French, Chinese and Arabic), and cloning and in-vitro fertilization have spiraled out of control. So much so in fact, that there is the need for Code 46, which calls for mandatory precoital screenings in order to prevent genetically incestuous reproduction. [Note - slight spoilers follow.] Tim Robbins plays William, an insurance investigator sent to Shanghai to look into a security breach at the Sphinx corporation, who manufacture "papelles" that allow for transport outside of the city. There he meets and almost immediately falls in love with an employee, Maria (the good-in-anything Samantha Morton). The two have a brief affair that leaves Maria pregnant, even though they have committed (unknowingly) a Code 46 violation -- let's just say it's Oedipal in nature. As a result, Maria's memory of William is wiped clean, and he must take drastic measures in order to regain her love. The film's climax, which is extremely sudden, finds the innocent character punished -- forced to suffer with memories, while the other has their memory wiped clean, unaware of the pain left behind. Significantly bleaker than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Code 46 suffers a bit from brevity -- just as the story of the two lovers on the run gets going (and we have traveled halfway around the world) the ending appears out of nowhere. This was most likely intentional, as it makes the blow a bit harder. The film boasts an interesting international cast, including Om Puri and the great Jeanne Balibar, though she's not given much to do here. (Why does Filmbrain have the feeling this was once much longer?) The best moment in the film (which for some reason made Filmbrain think of Marleigh) takes place in a karaoke bar. A man in a suit takes the mike and sings a rather lackluster version of Should I Stay or Should I Go -- and it's none other than Mr. Mick Jones himself. Code 46 won't find you leaving the theater with a big smile on your face, though it does raise some interesting questions about the future of sexual relations once cloning and genetic engineering become as common as breast implants and botox injections. A heartbreaking little film that is definitely worth seeing.

Comments

[Marleigh]

Glad to know you think of me when you see people doing crappy karaoke renditions of pop songs. You'd really get a kick out of my signature song—Lita Ford's absolutely terrible "Kiss Me Deadly." Just when you thought that song couldn't get worse, I make it so.

Next time the NY film blog crew makes it to LA, I'll be sure to host a welcome-to-town karaoke party.

[FIlmbrain]

I think it was more the idea of the faded rock star covering his own tune in a cheesy Shanghai karakoe bar that put you in my mind. But still, I'd consider stepping foot in LA again just to hear your rendition of Kiss Me Deadly.