By: Mackenzie Lambert
Without a doubt, Tilda
Swinton is the most versatile actress in movies today. Comic book
fans may remember her as the androgynous Gabriel in Constantine.
She was the White Witch in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,
The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
She’s also been in Broken Flowers,
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
and Burn After Reading.
This past Thursday was the Western New York premiere of Teknolust,
a true hidden gem and one of the highlights of the entire BIFF. Not
since Splice earlier
this year has there been a better science-fiction film released in
2010.
Teknolust
concerns the secret experiments of Rosetta Stone (Swinton) and her
three “children:” Ruby, Marrine, and Olive (all three played by
Swinton as well). The particular children are Self-Replicating
Automations (SRAs). In other words, these are cyborgs that can
become self-aware and are able to reproduce. Although, when we first
meet them, their ability to procreate has been suppressed. Yet, like
vampires with blood or diabetics with insulin, they need Y chromosome
(in the form of sperm) in order to continue to maintain their vital
functions.
Unfortunately,
Ruby has engaged in sex in order to supply sperm to her siblings.
This causes the men she charms into the said activity to experience a
bizarre viral infection of alarming proportions. On the case to
investigate the epidemic is Agent Hopper (James Urbaniak of The
Venture Bros.) and Dirty Dick
(Karen Black). At the same time, Ruby encounters a clerk at a print shop, Sandy (Saving Private Ryan‘s
Jeremy Davies). With Sandy, Ruby begins to experience love and
emotions altogether new to her. A quick note for the Hopper
character: watch for the magic band-aid that switches locations on his
face.
While
this clearly qualifies as camp, the acting is enthralling and
tongue-in-cheek. Swinton pulls of a Sellers-caliber quadruple
performance. The scenes where she acts with her self through the
magic of editing is right up there with Peter Jackson in Bad
Taste and Dominique Pinon in
City of Lost Children.
Urbaniak is great in his deadpan performance. Karen Black isn’t
on-screen for long, yet she makes the most out of it. Davies is able
to make his slacker interesting with his eccentric mannerisms.
As
with all good sci-fi, the plot of the movie serves as a metaphor to
real-life instances and experiences. The instinct-driven revolt of
the SRAs can be compared to the results of oppressive parenting.
These cyborgs were stated as being intended to do menial work (i.e.
window cleaners), a frightening solution to the demand of giving jobs
back to Americans from day laborers. Then, there’s the message in
this film that really first came out with The
Terminator: what
happens when we let technology get too smart? As stated before, not
since Splice has there
been as thought-provoking sci-fi film.
Alas,
those in attendance at the Screening Room experienced a technical
hiccup. The disc skipped just before the credits and went back
to the main menu. Thanks to the graciousness of BIFF President
Edward Summer, I was able to borrow a copy of the screener. The
drive back home couldn’t be fast enough. After skipping near the
end of the pre-credit chapter, I saw what the other viewers missed
out on: the credits continue to show the SRAs adapting to our world.
Even
if the great supporting cast wasn’t there, Swinton in the role of the
four leads made this movie. Her presence adds gravitas to this
feminization of the Frankenstein story in a way which is very much relevant, even
foreboding. Swinton’s ability to muster four very different
performances is an accolade few in the industry can boast. This film
is another triumph in her astounding career.
—-
Mackenzie Lambert is a Buffalo-based columnist. He has been
featured in such publications as Penny Blood and Pantechnicon. He is
also a movie columnist for The Men’s Room Today (www.themensroomtoday.com).