SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See
Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
allyse67-234-997100 I had read about this film years before I actually saw it. The write up was intriguing enough that I kept it and when I saw the film, I understood why the reviewer said it was not to be missed. As society grows more and more tech-reliant, people become more and more isolated while still being "connected". This movie explores how little we might understand about what and who is really behind the things we enjoy and how little we may truly know about what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes. Poignant, moving, and completely unforgettable.
charles000 Wow . . . wow! Fantastically well done, smartly written story, with a punch. On so many levels, this transcends merely being a "sci-fi" story. Never have seen Alex Rivera's work before, or even heard of this film until now (Nov, 2015), but he deserves my respect for how this was directed and put together. For all of the fluffy comic book crap that gets perpetually pumped out of Hollywood, which is like polluting your mind with neural donuts, here's an example of filmcraft done exactly right.No over the top gratuitous CGI, or crazy sex and violence just to fill up screen time, but just a really well told story, that makes you think, and peer into a near future realm which is not at all that implausible.Leonor Varela is an interesting actress, but Luis Pena absolutely spot on delivers his character. 10 stars? In a heartbeat!
michaelj108 Based on the premise of labor without laborers. The usual Mexican preoccupations with El Norte are there, but nicely balanced and understated. No preaching.It depicts a future only a few minutes away from today. Mexicans work in Mexico controlling via the internet robots in the USA that do everything from construction to nannies. They use Waldo's plugged into their nervous system. But there is no surfeit of tech-speak. A peon from the arid interior comes to Tijuana at the now completely closed USA border to work in one of the implant factories. He meets a writer who sells stories, memories. The drone operator who killed the peon's father seeks him out through the writer.Understated and visually dark, but arresting and unpredictable.
Ruby Liang (ruby_fff) This is a better sci-fi than "Surrogates." The same weekend (June 20-21) that I saw Duncan Jones' "Moon", I was fortunate to catch the indie sci-fi "Sleep Dealer," an outstanding debut film by Alex Rivera, who also co-wrote the script. The movie poster image was impressive: a human body with several wired plug-in nodes (somehow it gave a chilling memory of "Maria Full of Grace" 2004, where Maria the carrier consumed pellets into her body - similar body for sale aspect). It briefly reminds me of William Gibson's "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995, with Keanu Reeves and Ice-T).A presumably simple story yet it will absorb you to attentively follow the plot and be anxious about what will happen next. The script is full of global diversity awareness and touching on current social issues like outsourcing by corporations, 'cheap labor' and satellite communications, technological connections by ing - "nodes plug-in's for remote work order." In the center of it all, a family-related human drama is not forgotten - providing possible clues to story threads and a pensive ending (depending on how you view it, of course). No wonder Rivera won the screen writing award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, besides winning the feature film prize.Director Rivera made a point to include both English and Spanish credit titles with each name listed at the end credit roll - appreciate his inclusiveness and being cognizant of diverse and global sensibility in "Sleep Dealer." At the opening credits, noted interesting production company names: "Likely Story" (indeed!) and "This is That" Productions. Check out the official web site 'sleepdealer.com' for more on this gem of a sci-fi.See "Surrogates" unless you're a 'die hard' Bruce Willis fan. See "District 9" for aliens premise and glorious sci-fi action (and storyline with a twist). But do not miss "Moon" and "Sleep Dealer" - remarkable sci-fi films released this year of 2009, both directorial debut features from two talented and promising filmmakers: Duncan Jones and Alex Rivera respectively.
