Poking around on Netflix this morning, I ended up watching Code 46 with Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton. It’s a great film, despite average reviews and an unfortunately disappointing trailer (above).

The movie is a dystopian tale about a future world quietly ruled by total surveillance, mastery of genetic sequencing and cloning gone awry. The result is a two-tiered society where near-perfect information about every individual’s behavior and genetic makeup allow governments to grant or deny “cover” (the ability to travel freely) to anyone at any time based on calculated risk. With it, you live a first world life of freedom and possibility. Without it, you’re pushed to the outside edge of civilization, where life is one of subsistence.

It’s a tight plot line centered on Robbins’ and Morton’s characters, moving and nuanced. The production quality feels closer to an indie, rather than big budget, film, but they make it work. If you appreciate sci-fi as social critique and cautionary tale, Code 46 is worth watching.

Source: youtube.com