Daft Punk
Electroma
(Vice Records)
From the outset, the Kubrickian allusions in Daft Punk’s film Electroma are all encompassing. The film is a loosely narrative tale of two robots (played by Daft Punk’s Peter Hurteau and Michael Reich) trying to become human in a robotic world. At times, the film feels like a well-produced tribute to Stanley Kubrick, but it often comes off as expected and obvious in its delivery. The film is certainly interesting in its thematic elements and its cinematography, but it’s very far from groundbreaking. Some scenes have potential, like when the two Daft Punk characters are fitted in oversize human masks that begin melting in the sun, but they loose potency and go nowhere. Of course, there are other scenes, which fail miserably from the beginning such as long drawn out walking and driving scenes in the desert. For Daft Punk fans, it’s a bit of a disappointment due to the overwhelming absence of real Daft Punk music, but the choice of songs by Brian Eno, Todd Rundgren, and Curtis Mayfield are interesting choices. Overall, it falls short in terms of the music film genre though it has slight overtones of classics such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Talking Heads film True Stories, but with none of the content. It fits well within the world of weird French art cinema and may appeal to some, but would probably work better as a music video with some Daft Punk tunes playing over it.
