>>PREVIEW
SLED ISLAND
Electroma
STARRING Peter Hurteau, Michael Reich, Ritche Lago Bautista, Daniel Doble, Athena Stamos
DIRECTED BY Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo
Thursday, June 28 at midnight
Stride Gallery
Is there such a thing as a backwards autobiography? French duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, also known as the mysteriously helmeted techno music pioneers Daft Punk, have crafted a film about two robots in a quest to become human – essentially a parody of their iconic musical persona in reverse. Electroma will be screened at midnight on June 28 at Stride Gallery in conjunction with Sled Island and Vice Records.
Electroma is a feature-length silent film about the search for humanity in a dystopian environment. The film combines panoramic cinematography – it was shot largely in arid Independence, California – with an innovative slow motion lensing technique. There is no dialogue in the movie, but the soundtrack was meticulously crafted with ambient sounds, featuring music by Todd Rundgren, Brian Eno, Curtis Mayfield and Sébastian Tellier. Daft Punk directed and co-wrote the film, but surprisingly did not work on any of the sound or original music. As stated by de Homem-Christo, "We come from a musical background, but this movie is quite minimal."
The story is broken up into five distinct parts. Some critics have reacted negatively to the final (and longest) sequence that features the robots on a long trek in the desert. Many are willing to give the film a chance, though, based on Daft Punk’s previous film work and associations.
Although Electoma is Daft Punk’s first attempt at directing a feature-length film, their music has always been synonymous with clever visuals. In 1997, their songs "Around the World" and "Da Funk" were immortalized by incredible music videos by Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze. In 2003, they worked with anime director Kazuhisa Takenouchi and artist Leiji Matsumoto on the film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, which acts as a visual realization of their 2001 album Discovery. In 2005, the duo directed critically acclaimed music videos for "Robot Rock" and "Technologic."
The first showing of Electroma was last May as part of the Cannes Film Festival, but it has had limited international release as of yet. In fact, the showing at Stride will be the second of six this summer in North America. According to the gallery, "We were contacted by Vice about the possibility of screening Electroma. They were seeking out alternative showing spaces such as Stride."
Stride has displayed films from time to time in the past – they featured Road Kill by Elspeth Sage and Terry Ewasiuk in 2005 — but showing Electroma, which will interest electronic music fans and film enthusiasts alike, is a first for the gallery. Doors for the event open at 11 p.m., with the showing starting at midnight. Admission is free, but space is limited. |
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