Immortel
(ad vitam) (2004)
New York
City, year 2095. France is under
dictatorship following two nuclear wars. The ancient Egyptian gods have
returned to Earth in a floating pyramid above Manhattan. They have cast
judgment upon Horus (the falcon headed god). Given only one week by the gods to
preserve his immortality, Horus must search New York City and find both a human
host body to inhabit and a willing mate to continue his legacy. In the city
Jill wanders around in search of her true identity aided by a doctor who
discovers that she is physically only 3 month old. Alcide Nikopol, a rebel
condemned to 30 years of cryopreservation escapes his prison, due to a
mechanical accident. Horus takes control of Nikopol's body. Sounds surreal? It
is.
Immortel is
based on the first two volumes in the Nikopol Trilogy, a French science fiction
graphic novels trilogy written between 1980 and 1993 by Bosnian born Enki
Bilal: La Foire aux immortels (Carnival of Immortals), La Femme piège (Woman
Trap) and Froid Équateur (Cold Equator).
Enki Bilal
has always been one of my favorite French comics artist. His works is a surreal
mix between the deadly epic seriousness of anime, combined with the French
classic Metal Hurlant style. Reading his stories is a bit like watching a
painting from a Dutch renaissance master – poetic, violent and heavy on
symbolism.
The movie
is very true to the original comic. Enki Bilal directed Immortel himself,
probably not an optimal solution. Storytelling genius in one medium does not
necessarily carry over to another. You can tell it's a filmed comic book. The
dialogue may read well on paper, but suffers in the movie from its stilted
formality. And someone with a better grasp of English should have polished up
the language. Here and there you can tell it's translated French.
Immortel
was one of the first movies to use an entirely "virtual backlot". The
actors were all shot in front of a green-screen with all the backgrounds added
in post-production. Bilal uses computer-animated actors with live actors
(probably for budget reasons). The technology was a bit immature. The
animations looks like a computer game trailer.
But it
doesn't really matter as the story is brilliant and the visuals are stunning.
Even if it has technical and narrative defects, the film has unsuspected depths.
There is not a bit of Hollywood in this. Immortal is that rare movie that
doesn't only entertain, but dares to make you think. It's a film that you love
to see again.
Grade: B