Truly an avant-garde exploration of what it takes to become human, and what that existence feels like when you are striving for it.

Daft Punk is no amateur when it comes to these humongous themes and ideas that have existed in every single one of their works since 1997. This is just the visual manifestation of that and the most audacious part is that it’s all scored by music they love, not their own music.

I watched this in 2014 on my computer in college using Internet Archive, but to see this gorgeous 4K restoration on a 35mm print in a theater, meticulously edited together yet again by the original directors and the original editor, was immediately evident. It stands in stark contrast to the unfortunate AI upscale that was Interstella 5555. But that’s not the point of this review.

This made me feel like I was watching an exploration into the deeper things that we often get stuck doing, like infinite loops of thought.  Those moments where you stare in the mirror and think about everything that has come before, and what is to come next. Is survival the only thing that needs us, or is it the emotions and experiences of life? All of these massively deep themes are conveyed with two expressionless robot faces. All without dialogue, mind you.

I even had the privilege to ask Thomas a question during the Q&A about one particular thing he played at a DJ set earlier that day, and it had to do with 2001: A Space Odyssey. He elaborated on how 2001: A Space Odyssey was not a direct inspiration for the project, but that it is his favorite movie of all time and how it must have subconsciously influenced a lot of his decisions when creating the project.

This is just an absolutely brilliant movie, and you only get out of it what you put into it. That’s all that any artist can ask for. To hear him talk about what makes that art mean so much to him, even 20 years later, is the epitome of what all of this means.

I truly believe that’s what you see when you look in a mirror. That’s what you see when the lights go out. You see a reflection of what you are, what you did, and what you became. 

All photos from this event were provided by Trey Mitchell. 

https://www.instagram.com/treymphotos/