Product Details

• Actors: Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Davies, James Urbaniak, John O'Keefe, Karen Black
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Thinkfilm Llc
• VHS Release Date: December 16, 2003
• Run Time: 82 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000DC14R
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,998 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Anxious to use artificial life to improve the world, Rosetta Stone, a bio-geneticist creates a Recipe for Cyborgs and uses her own DNA in order to breed three Self Replicating Automatons, part human, part computer named Ruby, Olive and Marine. The SRA's act as 'portals' on the Internet, helping users to fulfill their dreams. The SRA's are nourished through touch. Because they were bred only with Rosetta's DNA, they need the balance of an Y chromo or male sperm to survive. Rosetta projects seduction scenes from movie clips onto Ruby, which absorbs as she sleeps. The SRA'S can not distinguish dreams from reality. Ruby acts out these scenes in real life with the men and shares her spoils with her sisters. However, Ruby's encounters suffer from impotence and unexplained rashes. Fearing a bio-gender war, the FBI sends in Agent Edward Hopper to solve the mystery. Puzzled, he turns for help from a private cyber detective. The men recover. Ruby falls in love and becomes impregnated by Sandy, a xerox shop worker. The characters struggle to find love in a world that no longer needs sex to reproduce, a world that is changing and is populated with people who use provisional identities and are seen through virtual selves and a world where love is the only thing that makes things real.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully different, December 21, 2003

By 

wynalter (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teknolust (DVD)

I enjoyed this film thoroughly, but I'm afraid it will suffer unnecessary criticism from a lot of viewers disappointed to find no actual erotica in it anywhere. Instead, it takes a relaxed, funny view of virtual sex, which happens entirely off-camera. What endeared the film to me was the truly original female sensibility of it all. There are no "bad guys" in this story; every character is likeable. There are no long, boring adolescent male videogame cyberbattles. The tension is not caused by a conflict of wills or an effort by anyone to get the better of anyone else; instead, it centers on the struggles of the characters, both human and virtual, to understand and connect with each other. As I said -- it's a female sensibility. And as far as I know, that's never been done in this genre before. Kudos to Leeson; it's time women started envisioning the potentialities of virtual reality at last. (Oh yeah, and I couldn't take my EYES off Tilda Swinton. What a great face!)

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful, but enigmatic., August 8, 2005

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Teknolust (DVD)

This has everything I like about Tilda Swinton's best movies, plus some of what I dislike about her lesser works. Dislikes include low-budget effects and cryptic finales, but maybe that's part of the charm of these movies.

The good, of course, comes from Swinton. She plays a geek girl (Rosetta Stone), but plays the role with respect. She's shy, especially shy around men, and fiercely intelligent. Swinton also plays Stone's three clones: Ruby, Olive, and Marinne. It's a bit ham-handed, but the four roles are distinguished by very different wigs, and the clones by color coding: red, green, and ultramarine. Swinton's real achievement is in her physical presence[s] - the body language of each character is distinctly the character's own. Rosetta is especially good in her my-gawd-i'm-a-mother moments, painfully but realistically unsure, and over cautious as a result.

The plot device is a bit odd: almost vampiric in an AIDS-era kind of way, but with a computer-y angle and a gentle resolution in the end. Rosetta and Ruby each find romantic resolutions of their own. Olive and Marinne seem to find each other - and something more. "As easy as baking brownies." The end is enigmatic, but good enough, and leaves a few questions open.

It's a good indy movie. That means it's not for everyone, but I came away happy.

//wiredweird

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars stunning, February 11, 2004

By 

lady detective "sakura kitty" (east coat) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teknolust (DVD)

i was hardly expecting this film to be beautiful; i thought it would be weird & that's about it.

it was weird- but it was so amazing.

tilda swinton is compelling and ultimately lovely as the four characters she embodies. the story of a lonely scientist who clones herself into 3 different selves: half human/half computer-is so deliciously odd- and bordering on a creepy reality.

but, there was nothing creepy about this film, & with such a strong message of love & sweetness carried out through the ending... i dare anyone not to be delighted.

highly recommended!