Teknolust (2002) is the most recent effort from director Lynn Hershman-Leeson, and forecasts the ideas of love and lust in the future. Here's the rundown: Bio-geneticist Rosetta Stone (Tilda Swinton) uses her own DNA to develop three SRAs, or Self-Replicating Automatons (also played by Swinton). Essentially half human and half cyborg, these SRAs use the Internet to help others fufill their own dreams and desires, replenishing their own energy with human contact. However, the SRAs also require the X chomosome (male sperm) to survive. Unable to distinguish realisy and fantasy, these three 'sisters' are presented with a problem similar to many of their human targets: How much of a role does love really play in a world dominated by cyber-relationships? How much of a role should it play?

Although the premise itself is somewhat intriguing, I couldn't really bring myself to enjoy Teknolust. At its most basic level, there are many fundamental problems with the story itself that keep it from succeeding. For example, there's a very thin target audience here, and it was obvious to me that I wasn't a part of it. Essentially, it deals with an emotional and spiritual topic (love), and sucks the life out of it by presenting it in a cold, emotionless manner. Sure, it might be an interesting statement, but it makes for a somewhat uninvolving experience. While other futuristic tales of human interaction have blended these opposites seamlessly, Teknolust struggles to make its point, often coming accross as a disjointed made-for-TV movie lost in time.

Another problem with the movie itself are the uneven performances from the cast. In fact, I believe the movie's strongest performance belongs to Jeremy Davies, who plays a copy shop worker that becomes involves with one of the SRAs. Perhaps most recognized for his roles in Saving Private Ryan and the recent remake of Solaris, Davies does an excellent job playing a quite unusual character. However, the rest of the cast is limited to much less intriguing roles, and the movie suffers for it. Tilda Swinton (Vanilla Sky) tries hard, but her somewhat mediocre performance as four seperate characters seemed like more of an economical shortcut than an artistic statement.

However, there were a few things here that I liked. As evidenced by the plot, Teknolust is heavily rooted in sci-fi, and thankfully has the proper atmosphere to back it up. Nicely designed sets provide a convincing look needed for such a story, and the deliberately-paced plot allows the events to unfold at their own leisure (even with a brisk running time of 85 minutes). Additionally, the source ideas and overall themes were a welcome change from most recent movies. Sadly, Teknolust still seems a little late to the game, as the questions it asks are hardly anything sc-fi fans haven't heard before.

Despite a few strengths, I felt the drawbacks were too strong to ignore, resulting in a somewhat flat viewing experience that never genuinely engaged me as a viewer.

In short: if you like your love served warm, Teknolust probably isn't for you. Released to very mixed reviews, it's pretty obvious that this is a movie you're bound to either love or hate. Unfortunately, I'm leaning more towards the latter category, but I'd still encourange any interested parties to check this one out...maybe you'll see something I didn't. Now availble on DVD, it's given a nice technical presentation that's very suitable to the subject matter. Here's what we get:

According to the director, Teknolust was shot using 24-frame High Definition digital video, giving it a very sharp and glossy look. Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, this is a disc that easily earns high marks for video quality. Colors are bold and bright, and blacks are rock solid, making this a great overall video presentation. To be honest, though, I've never been a huge fan of digital video, and almost always prefer the 'warm' look of traditional film presentations. However, this is one of the few occasions where digital video was a perfect complement to the movie...it's not a warm and emotional story we're dealing with.

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital Surround, and is clean and clear. This is a recent picture, and as such does not exhibit any glaring problems in the audio department. Dialogue is easy to understand, and the score also has a nice punch when needed. I would have preferred a slightly more enveloping sound mix, but I can't say that I was disappointed. Overall, this is a serviceable presentation that should give fans of the film something to look foward to.

While I can appreciate this kind of cinematic art, it really wasn't my cup of tea. At its best, Teknolust was a modest social commentary and a possible glimpse into our own future, but it's not as fresh and original as it wants you to believe. There's not much of a human element to the picture; while this may be one of the underlying themes of the movie itself, this also makes it very hard to connect with any of the characters or messages. On the plus side, the design and overall look of the film is very sharp, so it at least earns a few points for atmosphere. Equally simplistic and challenging, Teknolust valiantly attempts to stick its neck out, but it didn't really win me over on this initial viewing. The DVD does an adequate job of presenting the film in its best possible light, and even the lack of bonus materials isn't a major hinderance. Overall, Teknolust is a very polarizing film, and I'd highly recommend that you Rent It first.