Neptune Frost

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2:02

Neptune Frost

2022

1h 45m

Musical

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

84 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

In an otherworldly e-waste camp made of recycled computer parts, a subversive hacking collective attempts a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region's natural resources--and its people. When an intersex runaway (Neptune, played by both Elvis Ngabo and Cheryl Isheja) and an escaped coltan miner (Matalusa, played by Kaya Free) find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry. With hypnotic visuals and original songs composed by musician and co-director Saul Williams, this celestial cyber-musical offers a radically bold vision of power, exploitation, and love.

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Critics Consensus

Bursting with ideas and ambition, Neptune Frost is difficult to describe -- and just as hard to resist.

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David Stratton

The Australian

The film is certainly different, but it’s also strangely gripping even if not particularly likeable or approachable.

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 9, 2022

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

It sometimes gets bogged down in turgid polemic, but what’s surprising is how supple and communitarian it stays.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 31, 2022

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David Sims

The Atlantic

The film is a critique of the capitalist ravages visited on Burundi and its neighbors by a technology-obsessed society. It’s also a soaring, poetic vision of a transformative future, filled with abstract scenes of singing and partying.

Aug 3, 2022

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Zach Youngs

InSession Film

From the first frame, I knew I was hooked on Neptune Frost. This cyberpunk and afro-futurism musical is astounding. Its meditations on class struggle, gender politics, and sex are thought provoking...

Jul 3, 2024

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Jillian Chilingerian

Offscreen With Jillian

Mixing together anarchist politics and aesthetics to create something that feels punk and handmade.

Jul 26, 2023

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Jane Freebury

Jane Freebury

A playful mash-up from deep within Africa, part dystopian dream and part cyberpunk futurist vision, dispensing striking imagery, pulsing rapper rhythms and messages against the international system

Rated: 3/5

Dec 23, 2022

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Jesenia

Incredible from beginning to end! A movie that fires on all cylinders!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/17/22

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Casey B

Possibly the best acted, well written and most beautiful movie out there. I was skeptical for the first 20-30 mins, but then it opened up to be one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen. The musical performances were spectacular, most of the scenes feel more like a documentary, they're acted so organically with the absence of vanity interfering with the story. 10/5 stars!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/19/23

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matthew r

Not my thing. Went completely over my head.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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brett w

SWAN (Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman) has molded nothing less than a luminous masterpiece; a heartbeat transferred to film. Hypnotizing from start to finish, Neptune Frost is a strong contender for movie of the year. If you struggle with reading subtitles following abstract art, or lack a taste for poetry, this one's probably not for you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

brent m

I would so liked to have given this ambitious indie offering a higher score, but, unfortunately, because of clarity conflicts between narrative and screenplay, I simply couldn't. This Afrocentric musical fantasy with a multitude of themes protesting war, corporate greed, social intolerance and a host of other issues definitely has its heart in the right place, with inventive special effects and cutting-edge musical stylings. However, its attempt to express itself through cryptic poetic dialogue and soliloquies obscures its messages with its often-indecipherable prose. I sincerely applaud the attempt to push the envelope of the script, but, when the mixed metaphor wording becomes so irretrievably gnarled and vague, it's difficult to figure out exactly what the screenwriter is seeking to say. Directors Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams are clearly on to something here, but they need to clean it up a bit to make the material more coherent and accessible, with writing that's on par with the superb quality of everything else this innovative release has to offer.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

You've never seen anything like Neptune Frost and it's worth watching for that reason alone. I don't think I'd watch it again but I'm glad that I got to see something truly original.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

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Saul Williams

Director

Anisia Uzeyman

Director

Cheryl Isheja

Neptune

Bertrand Ninteretse

Matalusa

Eliane Umuhire

Memory

Elvis Ngabo

Neptune (1)

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Neptune Frost: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In an otherworldly e-waste camp made of recycled computer parts, a subversive hacking collective attempts a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region's natural resources--and its people. When an intersex runaway (Neptune, played by both Elvis Ngabo and Cheryl Isheja) and an escaped coltan miner (Matalusa, played by Kaya Free) find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry. With hypnotic visuals and original songs composed by musician and co-director Saul Williams, this celestial cyber-musical offers a radically bold vision of power, exploitation, and love.

Director: Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman
Producer: Maria Judice, Ezra Miller, Anisia Uzeyman, Saul Williams
Screenwriter: Saul Williams
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: JMK Films, Lizland Films, MartyrLoserKin, Pirates Blend Records, Redwire Pictures, OkayMedia, Carte Blanche Film, Swan Films, Quiet, 5000 Broadway Productions
Genre: Musical, Sci-Fi
Original Language: Swahili
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 5, 2022
Box Office (Gross USA): $193.9K
Runtime: 1h 45m

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