Dopamine

Greetings again from the darkness. Saw the Dallas premiere this evening and co-writer Tim Breitbach and lead actor John Livingston were in attendance and held a Q&A after the showing. Really liked the premise of the movie ... the whole science vs. nature/feelings thing. Thought John Livingston was excellent in his role as Rand, the computer genius who struggles with his feelings in real life. Livingston reminds of a less egotistical, more talented Ben Affleck. He is a true actor. Sabrina Lloyd (veteran of many TV shows) displays the darkness and vulnerability and toughness necessary for her role. Her very expressive eyes go along way towards silent conversation. You can almost taste her pain. Just a little disappointed with some of the stereotypes and weak dialog in parts. Other parts were brilliant and I can understand why it was selected for Sundance Film Festival. Would have enjoyed just a bit more of the three man creative process that was displayed in hyper speed to keep the audience from being bored. After 3 years on the same project, I was very interested in the group dynamics. Overall worth seeing, with some excellent parts, as well as some inconsistencies in quality of scenes.

People are giving this movie unfair ratings. It was both analytic, which we all feel compelled to be, and sensitive. The soundtrack was amazing, and the camera work done with the high speed film perfectly conveyed the mood of the film at the appropriate moments. If you don't like this movie, perhaps you're missing at heart because it certainly pulled at mine.

If you have a soft spot in your heart for those who live and work, for however short period of their young lives, in inner city BikeMessangerLand and can relate to how they feel alive as much because they get to dress down everyday of their lives and feed their senses --- this sweet movie conveys the sense of their world. It also is a bit of a fairy tale view, real lives in this world and typically a lot more messy and complex. But like the movie 'Whale Rider', it's a nice touchstone tale of a subculture, in this case the thriving creative community in S.F. at turn of this past century.

If you are not into this world, are an suburbanite or professional or military or any other profession or life style that is not destined, for better or worse, for a creative life, you may resent or even love to hate these people and their world. My view -- if this movie turns you off, you may have found the area of yourself that you need to work on in terms of tolerance and appreciation of how no one lifestyle fits all. The bigger picture in this film shows how in this creative community, like all communities, people struggle and on occasion win, occasion lose. The difference is just what they struggle with, and in this world, it is with ideas as much as relationships. It reveals how many dead-ends there are in both, as well as breakthroughs. At times the way this is revealed is a bit fake, but if you look at the film through the prism of fable -- it's visually artful and a uplifting human story.

Dopamine is the chemical emitted by the brain that creates pleasure when we're in love. So is that all love is? A chemical in our brain that makes us want to procreate? Or is there something more to it, something in our "hearts"?

These are the issues at the center of "Dopamine", a likeable but insubstantial indie comedy/drama from new director Mark Decena.

Set in San Francisco, it's about a computer programmer named Rand (John Livingston), who is working with 2 other guys on an interactive children's program called Koy Koy, named after the cute little digital bird that the kids are supposed to talk to. In shopping the program around, he meets Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd, from TV's great, cancelled "Sports Night"), a complicated kindergarten teacher, and they begin dating.

The relationship is tense because Rand is emotionally withdrawn having not yet fully dealt with his mother's tragic Alzheimer's, and has become convinced that love is nothing but a chemically-induced illusion in our brains (dopamine), after hearing his father's bitter diatribes on the subject.

One of the movie's very good qualities is that it takes time to ponder this issue, whether love is only a chemical reaction or if it's something more. It doesn't offer any concrete answers, but how could it? Also, the acting is mostly very good (particularly by Sabrina Lloyd), and the San Francisco cinematography is excellent and atmospheric.

On the minus side, though, there's just not very much to it. It's working from a unique angle, but otherwise it's pretty much like every other mopey, arsty indie love story. And even at an extremely short 79 minutes, it feels a little padded.

I saw "Dopamine" at a screening where director Mark Decena and executive producer Eric Koivisto spoke afterwards and did a Q & A. They are young, friendly and talented guys, and even though THIS movie is not entirely successful, it's promising and full of potential. I wish them the best.

Not your typical romantic comedy. It's thought provoking and full of wit instead of the same old, same old. Perfect for anyone looking for something different... a romnatic comedy that is well directed, well filmed, well written, and, most of all, well acted. Dopamine is a film worth watching. The cast is real. The story is interesting. The characters deserve your attention and you'll remember them all. They all have different levels of depth and that's something missing from most films. It's not just a cute little romantic comedy that'll make you sigh and giggle. It's full of truth and will make you think and rethink chemistry and the chemicals that create attraction.