“Immortal” – (2004, France, 103 minutes – rated R)
Well aren’t you lucky..? Two Midnight Movie Madness recommendations within a week!
This is a bit of a curio for sci-fi fans. Written and directed by Enki Bilal, based on two graphic novels from his Nikopol trilogy, “la femme piege” and “la foire aux immortels” (“the female trap” and “the carnival of immortals”).
Watch the trailer here:
Bilal (born Enes Bilalovic) moved to France at age 9, in 1960 or so.
His father was at one time Tito’s tailor, yet another connection to jellybeansofdoom, although our Tito grows (and sheds) all his clothing.
As a teenager, Bilal was encouraged by Rene Goscinny, creator of “Asterix” among others, to pursue a career in comics and graphic arts.
I remember his ‘oeuvre’ from the French version of ‘Heavy Metal’magazine: ‘Metal Hurlant’. Darkly dystopian themes with mythological references which did not take itself all that seriously.
The 70’s I remember were not a hopeful time, following the social upheavals of the 1960’s, the Vietnam war, which itself followed the Indochina war, the Algerian war, the Cold War, war all the time and no end in sight except perhaps in multiple nuclear mushrooms or the nascent fears about biological warfare.
“Immortal” is staged in the latter part of the 21st century in New York, New York.
Humans are no longer as human as they used to be, through implants, genetic mutations and the like.
What is a god supposed to do if he needs to mate with a product of such a dismal pool? That is the problem Horus faces as he and other ancient Egyptian gods hover above the city in their impregnable pyramid vessel. As a result of other gods’ judgment, Horus is given a specific time window in which to find a suitable human to procreate.
Immortal or not, time waits for no one it appears.
In this future New York City, Central Park is a forbidden zone, denied to any human. Attempting to enter it results in death, not unlike the “zone” in Tarkovsky’s “Stalker”.
Aliens, or perhaps people from other dimensions are rumored to use the park as a portal.
In this New York, a young woman is arrested, seeming out of place, out of time perhaps, she has no status and quickly comes to the attention of Dr. Elma Turner (Charlotte Rampling), a genetics researcher (to simplify things).
Turner discovers that the girl, named Jill (Linda Hardy) is at most a few months old but possesses certain powers, not the least of which is the ability to mate with gods.
Meanwhile, Horus takes over the body of political prisoner Nikopol (Thomas Kretschmann), who was in cryogenic suspension a long time before the human pool corrupted itself via mechanical and genetic manipulations.
There are several comparisons which may appear clear and evident between “Immortal” and other sci-fi offerings such as “Blade Runner” and “the Fifth element” first and foremost.
Technically speaking, “Immortal” is a bit disappointing in its visuals. Filmed entirely on green screen, certain characters do appear unnatural, as in ‘stiff’. Perhaps the way to get past this deficiency is to look at this film as an anime feature, using live actors.
For a movie made in 2004 better could be expected. Nevertheless, the themes, atmosphere and tone of “Immortal” are enough for me to recommend it as a curio. Watch it late at night when the mind is more open.
“Immortal” gets 4 jellybeans.
