House Is A Feeling

Anybody seen this yet?

If you haven’t heard of “Electroma”, it’s Daft Punk’s new film, a short story about two robots and their quest to become human. You’d think Guy-Man, Thomas, and their many imitators would have bled the robot mythology dry by now, but the change in format and the fact that the soundtrack is not done by Daft Punk themselves give a fresh feel to the film.

Just don’t expect anything but the most intangible feelings of enjoyment from what is an ambient film. Everything looks vivid and beautiful throughout, as the film seems to be tragic, amusing, and self indulgent all at once. You may wonder, as I did, “what’s the point” and then chastise yourself for thinking there should be a point. But there is enough in the wafer thin plot to keep you wondering whether this film is making a statement or not, even a trite one.

But then marveling at the aesthetic beauty while questioning the authenticity isn’t an unfamiliar feeling as far as Daft Punk are concerned. Nor is the sense that even as they pillage from others, once for music, now for a film, their identity is as strong as ever, and in fact their pillaging has become a crucial part of it.