A bit pretentious, a bit obvious, overlong, even at 74 minutes (this would have been a brilliant 40 minute short), but still full of arresting images and surprisingly emotional moments. Influenced heavily by Kubrick, Antonioni and most of the great 60s and 70s visualists, this is a wordless film about two robots who want to become human. The action is minimal. The opening drive through the desert alone takes a good 15 minutes. But it's wonderfully shot, and the use of eclectic source music as score (Brian Eno, Curtis Mayfield, etc) is interesting, if sometimes a little too self-conscious or intrusive. I doubt there are more layers to be found on repeated viewings, I think it is what it is: an experimental film more full of image than story or ideas. A 74 minute, interesting rock video.But every time I'd head toward terminally bored, an image or feeling would reel me back in...

If anything, Electroma should be taken just like any other experimental, art-house cinema film. This is borderline impossible when it's not just Electroma, but "Daft Punk's" Electroma, the tag line is "It's a Daft Punk vision" and you've got the Daft Punk logo emblazoned on the back of the two protagonists' jackets. For this, I feel like the film falters from a bit of ego, but just think how much worse it would've been if they'd used their own music.That being said, as a so-called art-house picture, Electroma is okay. There isn't much plot to follow and the "HUMAN" license plate is about as trite as calling this an interpretation of the difficulties of fitting into society, but in terms of something to look at, it's really really gorgeous. Considering Bangalter had little to no experience in cinematography prior to this, he's done a fantastic job. Each shot is quite beautiful in its own way, aesthetically speaking, particularly the final one.What I'm trying to say is, don't go into Electroma expecting brilliance, because it isn't. Take it for what it is: a mildly pretentious if not borderline dull, yet visually stunning piece of celluloid. It's ripe for interpretation (or none at all) which will grant it some sort of cult following. Hopefully a midnight-film of sorts.P.S. The soundtrack they did choose complements the film perfectly. And if "the" notorious desert close-up scene doesn't get this passed around film circles for years to come, I don't know what will.

The movie might clearly be connected to more trivial, yet also more inspirational and loved, movies like D.A.R.Y.L. from 1985. It is very likely that, in their childhood, the authors experienced watching this semi-unknown home video featuring a robot kid becoming a kid and facing the issues the Government is giving it (or him) in its attempt to dismantle the device. Go check out the movie, or watch it if you please, and post a comment. Works from Daft Punk are overwhelming with quotations and atmospheres of that techno-romantic and dreamlike spirit that features every little memory of movies and music, toys and magazines from the 80s that everyone who made it to 1989 being no older than 15 and no younger than 2 feels whenever he/she thinks back about the scenarios of his/her childhood.

This movie I think does a great job of showing what it is like to (in this world)find a way to express yourself. After doing a lot of after thought of this movie I came to think that is what they wanted you to see over all. The movie, which is very unconventional can be very unsettling to other people who aren't very open minded, and if you notice in the movie the hero robots were seen as the same.In my life experience i would say that if i showed this to a certain group of people i know (very closed minded) they would have a very negative response to it.There negative response would be seen as a kind of attack at the film makers, not having the ability to accept this kind of difference there minds would chase it to the end and hope that nothing like this would ever be made again because it would be seen as different.On the other hand someone as open minded as myself would look at this movie as a sort of life story, the frustration of wanting to be different and never truly fitting in and in turn ending at a point early on like so many of wanting to end there own life, never being completely able to do it them selves, either having someone else helping them "self destruct" or as the second robot did having bring themselves by creating there own destructions indirectly.Daft Punk must have noted in this story about the deaths of young artists who never felt they fit in and ending there lives young, like Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and so many others do to there own frustration.I saw the car ride at the beginning as a kind shot to the people of hey, were cool were different were gonna change things here, and the people did nothing and ignored them almost completely as the one robot with the newspaper glanced at them then looked away. They decided they needed to change there image even more to be noticed. Then when they entered the town and felt full confident in there new appearance they seemed to be fine, and as they noticed the townspeople despise there appearance it made them feel like idiots and made them feel disgusted with themselves. After running from those who feared change, which i thought was ironic as the townspeople all seemed to be some artistically devoid town. They felt that they too were ridiculous when they finally shed there self expression in the bathroom. After which they felt as outcasts of the world, constantly walking nowhere feeling as though they were missing something, when they truly were only missing themselves which they could no longer find.After feeling that there was no hope left there only decision was that they should kill themselves because there were none like them, and that they would never be able to find themselves again. Each death is unique, the first death of the self destruction was a quick way out, an overdose maybe, or fast suicide. The other death was the fire which could be seen as anger, or even mental insanity building leading to a final death and a complete darkness.I don't know thats what i saw, I may be wrong but thats what this movie told me, you could pick at it in an ignorant way, saying director did this effect and music that, and location this, and film era that, but i think they wanted you to truly look past that and find its true meaning.