Um Ponto Zero

I'm generally a sucker for a film that lures you in by its atmosphere, without telling you too much, letting the story evolve slowly, leaving the viewer with somewhere to go, something to figure out while watching. One Point O is that film, in spades.

It's yer basic sci fi thriller, with nanotechnology, mind control, kinky sex and seriously warped (but interesting, very interesting) characters at every turn. Jeremy Sisto, as the central character, makes it compelling in a subtle way, in that I really wanted to know what the #@%! was going on with him: was the whole thing in his mind, or was it happening in reality, or what? While the film doesn't spell everything out - which is a good thing, a very good thing - there's enough info that, by the end, the conscientious viewer can get the gist of what's transpired. I do recommend a second viewing, though - get the DVD, as I plan to do, since this one's not shown on cable that often.

I see this film as having tremendous cult appeal, where audience members dress accordingly and hover in a suspiciously extra-dark and oddly damp screening room, late at night. Also a good thing.

What begins as a paranoid gloss on David Lynch's "Eraserhead" (the central character is an antisocial loner in a fittingly creepy apartment complex) eventually unravels and stalls due to its own hyper-allegoric art-house pretensions. But for a while, it's an engrossing, unconventionally entertaining tale of a computer programmer (Jeremy Sisto) who receives empty packages inside his apartment...even after he changes the locks. While it's clearly a work of science fiction, the conceptualization of "the future" is presented in a minimalist manner–save for some complex-looking computer screens and virtual-reality scenes–that envelops the cerebral thriller elements quite nicely. In addition to "Eraserhead", it also bears some resemblance to David Cronenberg's more playful "eXistenZ," with a similar emphasis on the blurred line between hallucination and reality (metaphors abound), but the double- and triple-crosses the plot lays out eventually become tiresome.

It is easy to draw parallels between this movie and contemporary science fiction like The Matrix or less astute films like the Thirteenth Floor.

However, there is another level of storytelling in this film, something very akin to the way science fiction was told in the late 50's. Reminiscent of classical Twilight Zone or the more modern Cronenberg tradition of weird but very compelling scifi, One Point O makes a point that very few contemporary science fiction films does: it's not about effects or flashy stunts, convoluted terms or flashy names for characters. It's about the actor, director and the film crew telling a story.

The film is strange, no doubt, and maybe somewhat inaccessible to many viewers. But it delivers everything it promises in the outset, and in my opinion succeeds where so many others fail; Minority Report to name but one.

On the contrary to what many seem to think, I found the film quite clear. I had no trouble following the story and wasn't surprised at the end - but in my opinion there is no attempt made to surprise you.

One Point O is a film I will see many times again, as there are so many little details to be found - in the sets, the dialog and the characters.

Certainly it is NOT a film for the impatient.

Ms. Unger told us that she was drawn to the script, which reminded her of freaky directors she's worked with before.

in an nutshell, this movie is a freaky tale.

on one hand it's computer programer meets the neighbors on another hand it's a virtual sex machine on another hand it's about corporations, product placement, the dangers of commercialism.

the acting is incredible, the story will keep you glued, the cinematography is full of colors, moods, atmospheres, emotions.

this was my #2 pick for a flick at sundance this year behind the woodsman. go see it when it comes out near you.

"Paranoia will destroy ya…" wrote the Kinks many years ago. The paranoia in this film…well, you'll have to watch the film yourself to see what happens. Step into a grim, surrealistic world (think Dada does Kafka) where strange, unexplained things are going on. A mysteriously empty box that keeps appearing on the doorstep of Simon (played by Jeremy Sisto, people dying under odd circumstances. Simon's world is dreary, dark, depressing and confusing. It is peopled by others who are as confused and zombie-like as he has become—Trish, the cancer ward nurse (played by Deborah Unger), who uses kinky sex to make herself feel alive after being around so much death, the inventor (played by Udo Keir) of a weird robot head, the peculiar custodian played by Lance Hendricksen. Their souls are being sucked dry by a culture that demands that they perform, conform, consume. The only character with energy in this soulless atmosphere is the Neighbor, a sleazy director of S&M porn games, played by Bruce Payne with his customary intensity and nuance.( Why is he left out of the DVD credits?! His is the most memorable character. I second Brittmatt2005's excellent comments on the message board.).

Though unrelentingly grim, it is worth seeing more than once. This Kafkaesque film is textured, with many levels of meaning woven into the surrealistic package. There are many messages to be extracted---the dangers of amoral corporations out to control and out of control, the deadening effects of a conformist society, questioning of the extreme measures people will go to to feel alive in a dreary world (TV "Reality" shows, anyone?). By the end of the film, the mystery of the box is revealed. It is a trick that is, as Max Headroom once said, only "20 minutes into the future," a science fiction about to turn into science fact. Is this all a metaphor for what is going on now in our culture? See for yourself. This film, unlike the majority of sorry excuses for entertainment out there, will make you think.