IN TIME
US, 2011, 109 minutes, Colour.
Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Alex Pettyfer, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde, Johnny Galecki, Matt Bomer.
Directed by Andrew Niccol.
The concept for In Time is interesting, tantalising. It ‘s a pity that the dialogue is sometimes a bit trite and a lot of the action is rather conventional – that does not do enough justice to the ideas.
Andrew Niccol was responsible for such interesting ‘futuristic’ films like The Truman Show, SimOne and Gattaca. He also did the tough expose of arms dealers, Lord of War.
In this future world, which looks exactly like Los Angeles of the present, but that doesn’t matter, there is no more money. We might wonder how this could be. But, the premiss of the film is that time not only means money, it is the money equivalent. In this society, humans can live to age 25 without complication (shades of Logan’s Run but less lethal). But, their metabolism is put on permanent hold and they look 25 for the rest of their lives. And, immortality is theoretically possible if you have the time. Everyone has a luminous code on their arm so that they know how long they have to live. They can donate. They can receive. And their code serves as a bar code for all expenses.
There is still a gap between time-rich and time-poor, with separate zones which cost a lot of months and years to pass through. The rich have vast stores of time (and in banks where small time registering machines are kept). The poor eke out time from day to day and live in a ghetto zone.
All very interesting. The plot is quite straightforward. The hero resents his mother’s untimely death (you can make all these word plays with time as the dialogue does as well). While helping a time-rich young man who is set upon by a gang, he is given time and drives to New Greenwich, the wealthy enclave. Discovered, he abducts the corporation head’s daughter and they become a new age Bonnie and Clyde, pursued by a Timekeeper (played chillingly like a futuristic gunslinger by Cillian Murphy). They rob banks. They are media notorious. There will be a confrontation and a shoot out.
Actually, with this subversive scenario, this could become a cult classic for demonstrators at G20 meetings or for Occupy Wall Street and similar movements.
Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried are Will and Sylvia who spend a lot of time almost running out of time. Average film, above average ideas and themes.
1. The concept for the film? Time instead of money? People remaining at the age of twenty-five? The consequences?
2. The analogy of time for wealth, the wealth gap, aristocracy, the ghettos? The power of the aristocracy?
3. The use of California settings, the ghetto, the wealthy zones? Mirroring America?
4. The strong idea – but sometimes the triteness of the dialogue, the conventions of the situations and interactions?
5. The introduction to Will, his mother, her birthday, Will working, planning to meet his mother, her running out of time, collapsing in his arms, death? His reactions?
6. The system of giving time, charging time, the machines? People mean with time?
7. Will and his friend at the bar, the drinking, the encounter with Hamilton, the gang and the attack on Hamilton, Will saving him, the chase, hiding, Hamilton’s story, the gift of more than a hundred years, his time running out, sitting on the bridge and falling to his death? The surveillance cameras – and the Timekeepers seeing Will?
8. Will, his decision to go to New Greenwich, the car, the payments for each zone, his motives?
9. Entering New Greenwich, the encounter with Weiss, his mansion, party, society, the entertainment, glimpsing Sylvia, her reactions, the confrontation, his abducting Sylvia?
10. The role of the Timekeepers, their age, their work, the modern or futuristic equivalent of gunslingers, the pursuits, shootings, crashes?
11. Will and Sylvia, the bond between them, the image of Bonnie and Clyde type of outlaws? Their talk, the car, the crash, hiding under the bridge? Hijacking the car, taking the woman’s time? The two of them together, the apartment, changing clothes, Sylvia and her life story, her clashes with her father?
12. The phone call, with her father, his not giving the ransom time? Ray coming to get her? Sylvia shooting him? Will giving Ray some time? The other Timekeepers and their reaction to the gift of time?
13. The decision to rob the banks, crashing into the bank, the television news, the posters, their being outlaws? The reappearance of the gang, the challenge to Will, the hand-fight – and Will having explained his technique to Sylvia? Winning? The leader of the gang dying, Will getting the gun and the death of the others? The escape?
14. The decision to get the million years of time? Weiss, his reluctance, the commercial advisers? The confrontation with Sylvia, taking the time? Their escape, giving the machines to the people? The people’s response?
15. Ray, the final chase, his time running out, his death?
16. Will and Sylvia, the decision to destroy the system? The consequences for society? For people?
17. A film for protest groups like those who attack G20 meetings? The images of capitalism and exploitation? The image of literally running out of time?
18. The reflections of age, ageism, staying at appearance of twenty-five despite the years? The nature of life, the need for death, the issue of immortality?
