| Daft Punk's Electroma | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Daft Punk |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | Paul Hahn |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Thomas Bangalter |
| Edited by | Cédric Hervet |
| Music by | |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 72 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
Daft Punk's Electroma (also known asElectroma) is a 2006avant-gardescience fiction film directed by the Frenchelectronic music duoDaft Punk. The story revolves around the quest of tworobots (the band members, played by Peter Hurteau and Michael Reich) to become human.
The music featured in the film is not by Daft Punk, which was a first for the duo after their previous film andhome video releases,D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes andInterstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. The duo instead served as directors and co-wrote the film, along with Daft Arts manager Paul Hahn and collaboratorCédric Hervet.
The film premiered at the2006 Cannes Film Festival, and was later released in France on March 24, 2007. While initially receiving mixed reviews,Electroma has gained acult following.[1]
Daft Punk used scenes from the end of the film to announce their break-up on February 22, 2021.[2]
The two lead characters appear as the robotic forms ofDaft Punk and are credited as "Hero Robot No. 1" and "Hero Robot No. 2". One wears a silver helmet and the other wears a golden one. An opening scene shows the duo driving in a 1987Ferrari 412 with its license plate displaying "HUMAN". After passing through aSouthwestern United States landscape, the duo arrives by car at a town inInyo County, California.[3] The town's residents are also shown to be robots physically identical to the two main characters, but at different ages, with different clothing and alternating gender.
The pair drive to a high-tech facility where liquidlatex is poured over their heads. The latex morphs into human-like faces with the aid ofprosthetic appliances and wigs. The resulting look caricaturizes the members of Daft Punk,Thomas Bangalter andGuy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. When the two leave the facility, the locals of the town are shocked by their human appearance. The townsfolk gradually begin to chase the duo, whose faces eventually melt in the sun. The two take cover in a public restroom where the gold robot discards his ruined mask, then encourages the reluctant silver robot to do the same. Again appearing as robots, the pair then undergo a lengthy hike across desertsalt flats.
After walking for an extended period, the silver robot slows down and comes to a stop. Becoming aware of this, the gold robot walks back to the silver one. The silver robot continues to stare at the ground for a moment before removing his own jacket. He then turns away from the other robot, revealing a switch on his back. The gold robot flips the switch, which begins a timer. When the countdown ends, the silver robot is blown to pieces. The remaining robot piles the remains of the silver robot, then continues to walk. The gold robot eventually falls to his knees and attempts to reach the switch on his own back, but to no avail. Another moment passes before the robot removes his helmet and repeatedly slams it into the ground until the helmet shatters. Using one of the shards as aburning-glass, the robot focuses the sunlight to set his hand ablaze. The film ends as the robot, completely on fire, walks inslow motion through darkness.
Daft Punk's previous directorial credits include themusic videos for their songs "Fresh", "Robot Rock" and "Technologic". The duo initially shot footage for a music video of the song "Human After All", but expanded the content for a feature-length film instead.[5] According toGuy-Manuel de Homem-Christo,Daft Punk's Electroma had been an unplanned extension of filming videos for theHuman After All album.
We were not nervous – making a full-length movie was like a dream. We never planned for it to happen, but after we directed the videos for our last album we decided to keep on working. We were in the shooting dynamic, so the movie came naturally. We didn't think too much. Whether it's making music or directing a video, whatever we do we do it quickly. When we have a good work dynamic we don't need to ask too many questions of each other.[6]
Thomas Bangalter stated, "With this film, we had the same approach as when we started making music. Create without any rules or standards. Take a free approach to something new that you don't really know, and that you learn from scratch."[7]
The film was shot on 35 mmKodak stock under thecinematography of Bangalter. He purchased and read over 200 back-issues ofAmerican Cinematographer in preparation for the feature-length picture.[8] Filming ofDaft Punk's Electroma spanned 11 days,[6] much of which was spent inCalifornia.[3] Many scenes of the film took place inInyo County alongU.S. Route 395 and in the town ofIndependence. The robotic and makeup effects were designed and created by frequent collaboratorsTony Gardner andAlterian, Inc.
In April 2011, theFerrari 412 used for the film was auctioned for charity, alongside the original 'HUMAN' license plate signed by Bangalter and Homem-Christo.[9]
The soundtrack forDaft Punk's Electroma does not feature material by Daft Punk.[3] As stated by de Homem-Christo, "We come from a musical background, but this movie is quite minimal."[10] The following songs are featured in the film:
The film was first shown on May 21, 2006, as part of theCannes Film Festival sidebar Directors' Fortnight.[3] Midnight screenings ofDaft Punk's Electroma were shown inParis theaters from the end of March 2007.[11] The film was also screened atBiennale deMontréal inCanada on May 11.[12] It was shown in theAustralian Centre for the Moving Image on June 7,[10] at theInstitute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) inLondon on June 8[13] and at Kino Arsenal inBerlin on July 4, 2007.[14] The film went on a screening tour of theUnited Kingdom, beginning in July 2007 and ending in October at theBBC Electric Proms.[15] The ICA later announced a few late night weekend screenings for November 2007, but based on turnout and interest, extended the screenings to continue until January 2008.[13] In December 2007, the film was shown inSeattle,New York City,Chicago,Los Angeles,Atlanta andAustin as part of a tour of independent film screenings sponsored by theScion line ofToyota cars.[16]Vice Records sponsored Canadian midnight showings on December 7 inVictoria,Banff,Calgary,Winnipeg,Fort McMurray andToronto.[17] Further showings in Canada were screened during January 2008 in Toronto,Ottawa andWhitehorse.[17]
TheDVD-Video of the film was first released inAustralia on June 6, 2007.[18] It is distributed by Aztec International Entertainment.[18] According to the officialDaft Punk's Electroma website, it is available in the UK as of November 19, 2007.[15] Vice Records released theNorth American DVD on July 22, 2008; reports of aBlu-ray Disc release by Vice were later labeled "a mistake" and retracted by the company.[19] The DVD is packaged with a 40-page book of film images in either a SteelBook or slip case.[20] The film became available for online viewing on theLycos Cinema platform as a rental streamed at either standard or high definition.[21] It is also available for online rental or purchase at theiTunes Store, and for streaming onTIDAL.
On 22 February 2021, Daft Punk released a video titled "Epilogue" on their YouTube channel, featuring scenes from the film. Following a clip in which the pair bid each other farewell in the desert before one of them walks away and explodes, a new title card reads "1993–2021".[2] It was later confirmed that the YouTube video served to announce Daft Punk's breakup.[22]
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reported that 60% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 5.50 out of 10.[23] The film's showing at Director's Fortnight was received with mixed reactions.Daft Punk's Electroma was praised for its lensing technique and musical soundtrack at the premiere. At the same time, the film was unfavorably compared withGus Van Sant'sGerry andVincent Gallo'sThe Brown Bunny for its extensive hiking sequence. The scenes involving the main characters' desert trek reportedly caused a large portion of the audience to leave the theater at theCannes Film Festival showing.[3][24][25][26] In regards to the film's reception,Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo expressed:
There's a feeling of despair for some, but that's not what we wanted. Because the whole movie is without dialogue, it's more a question than an answer. We wanted to make a question mark so people could project what they wanted ontoElectroma – some people see it as sad, some as happy. Everyone is different.[27]
Giving his own take on the film's reception,Thomas Bangalter also stated, "We expected it to be less popular thanDiscovery, of course. The film is experimental and inaccessible; however, it's a movie that does not require your brain to function."[8]
Reaction to the film's midnight screenings inParis was reported to be positive as of the end of March 2007.[28] The screenings in the region were so highly received that the film's previously brief run was extended to six months.[10] Most screenings in theUnited Kingdom sold out quickly.[citation needed] In response to the film's midnight placement,Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo expressed, "We are really happy it has become a midnight movie rather than just another movie that will be taken off the screen after one week. Usually, and I think it is the same worldwide, you get all the big blockbusters and if the movie doesn't do good, after one week it is taken off the screen."[10]
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| Singles |
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| Featured singles | |
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