Monday, November 28, 2016

Review - Time of Eve (2010 movie)



To this day, works of fiction have touched me as did the Time of Eve. Going into this movie totally blind, I'd expected a bog-standard love story, only involving humanlike androids. As the film drew on however, it soon became clear that I was experiencing a masterpiece of setting, art, and storytelling. Whether you're new to anime, a world-renowned film guru, or just an average person with a proclivity towards science fiction; Time of Eve is a film everyone deserves to watch at least once.


The premise is inventive, to say the least: Masakazu and Rikuo are normal highschool boys in a world that makes liberal use of humanoid robots. Said robots are often tasked with menial tasks such as cooking and cleaning, and are easily identifiable by the glowing holographic ring projected above their heads. Their lives take a sudden turn, however, when they discover the Time of Eve: A secret cafe where androids and humans are free to mingle, and no one can tell which is which.

This is all fine and dandy. The recurring motif, however, and what I would argue elevates this above similar films in this genre, is Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. Just as in his own landmark work I, Robot, Asimov's laws are twisted, abused, beaten and left for dead in an alleyway; by means of investigating hypothetical conflicts of interest. There's also the secondary themes of discrimination towards androids, as well as robots' place in romantic relationships with humans.


The art is, simply put, gorgeous. Through the use of earthen tones and soft lighting, the film is permeated by this characteristic richness and familiarity. I'd imagine this was intentional, to showcase the humanlike nature of the androids.


Character designs, shading, and animation are all top of their class. Indeed, I'd say Studio Rikka blew KyoAni outta the water with this one. Coupled with the soft lighting and their clean lines, the character designs come off less as personas that move the plot forward, and moreso as what they're supposed to be: Idealized versions of real people. From start to finish, this film is a visual feast.


Sound design has enjoyed a similar level of attention to detail. In a stroke of genius, the director deigned to exclude almost all ambient noise from the entire film. Whereas a city apartment in real life might be cluttered with the whir of an air conditioning unit, the distant drone of cars below, or (for me at least) the deafening chatter of a jackhammer the next block over; Time of Eve tunes these distractions out. Freed of the tedium of realism, we are left only with idealism. We perceive the distinct timbres of characters' voices, pay closer attention to their expressions and actions, and are free to let our minds wander during the long stretches of silence. This invites the viewer to draw his own conclusions about the dilemmas presented onscreen, and is likely the premier reason I enjoyed this film as much as I did.


There really isn't anything bad I can say about Time of Eve. Even two months later, this film seems literally perfect in every respect.

Would I recommend this? YES, absolutely. If you're a fan of anime and enjoy more cerebral fare, this'll be right up your alley; if you're a fan of hypothetical science-fiction who believes the genre's dead, this'll be the film that proves you wrong; and if you're like me, latently curious about the ways advanced technology has and will change human society at large, Time of Eve is a must-see.

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