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Chain

Play trailer Chain 2004 1h 42m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Two women from disparate social and economic backgrounds spend a great deal of their time exploring modern industrial landscapes, but for very different reasons. Successful Japanese businesswoman Tamiko (Miho Nikaido) was hired by a real estate corporation to study malls, amusement parks and resorts. Homeless teen Amanda Timms (Mira Billotte), who spends most of her time randomly filming and pondering her surroundings, wanders the same areas because she has nowhere else to go.

Critics Reviews

View All (8) Critics Reviews
Frank Scheck Hollywood Reporter What might have been highly effective as a nonfiction short is extended way beyond its dramatic possibilities, and the narrative structure Cohen has devised adds little to the overall effect. Oct 5, 2005 Full Review Eddie Cockrell Variety A hypnotically involving film based on the genuinely novel idea of stitching together shots taken over a six-year period in 11 American states and six countries. Sep 16, 2005 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times Jem Cohen's visually haunting film deliberately blurs the lines between fiction, documentary and cinematic essay. Rated: 3/5 Sep 14, 2005 Full Review Keith H. Brown Eye for Film Rated: 4/5 Dec 7, 2007 Full Review Eric Monder Film Journal International Both Nikaido and her untrained co-star, Mira Billotte, do too good a job at portraying ennui and Chain suffers as much as it succeeds from it. Jan 5, 2007 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide Jem Cohen's nightmarish portrait of a deracinated world includes footage shot over 10 years in several countries but cut together so seamlessly that the film seems to unfold in a single, continuous strip of malls, hotels and airports. Rated: 3/4 Sep 16, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience reviews
Audience Member One of a kind. Saw it on IFC. Years later i see that its available on youtube to watch for free : ) Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Es como para jugar a las adivinanzas: ¿es un documental o una pelicula de ficcion? Recien en los creditos finales uno puede darse cuenta de lo que realmente ha visto en este excelente film de Jem Cohen, en el que entrecruza la historia de dos mujeres que siguen caminos que se confrontan, dentro de un mismo contexto de corporaciones: una de ellas esta casada con la compania para la que trabaja, mientras la otra esta habitualmente desempleada y tiene problemas para subsistir, pero aun asi pasa un buen tiempo "viviendo" en un mall. Con un ritmo sereno y utilizando escasos recursos, Cohen le dobla la mano a sus personajes. En solo algunas escenas, reminiscente en lo visual de trabajos de Godfrey Reggio. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member two women shackled by corporate commercial culture, one inside and one out. brilliant idea and nicely told through minimalist cinematography. Pros: Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Cons: these shots seem way too fucking familiar. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member A striking work of motion picture photography, with just enough of a narrative arc to justify its 100 minutes. Definitely worth seeing if you can be in the right place at the right time. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member An extremely engrossing albeit simple story about isolation and conglomeration and how it corrupts us down to the bone. A very moving yet unsettline film that delves into the human psyche in an interestingly refreshing way. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member A depressingly photographed view of the consumer world we live in everyday. Imagine the blond American girl as an alien, and the foreigner embraced. The film feels post-apocalyptic most of the time. Is it just me, or is Jem Cohen absolutely terrified by globalization? Most frightening film of the year. With the soundtrack, our wold looks so sad and lonely - without any sound, this film would be a boring slideshow - I'd love to see it to a higher energy soundtrack. Our world might not look so bad, probably even comical and fun - this relative soundtrack phenomenon proves this...it is the emotion you marry to the environment that dictates the mood. Or am I just an optimist? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Chain

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Movie Info

Synopsis Two women from disparate social and economic backgrounds spend a great deal of their time exploring modern industrial landscapes, but for very different reasons. Successful Japanese businesswoman Tamiko (Miho Nikaido) was hired by a real estate corporation to study malls, amusement parks and resorts. Homeless teen Amanda Timms (Mira Billotte), who spends most of her time randomly filming and pondering her surroundings, wanders the same areas because she has nowhere else to go.
Director
Jem Cohen
Producer
Mary Jane Skalski, Jem Cohen
Screenwriter
Jem Cohen
Production Co
Antidote Films, Gravity Hill Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 42m