NationMaster - Encyclopedia: EXistenZ

eXistenZ is a 1999 psychological thriller/science fiction film by Canadian director David Cronenberg. It stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law. eXistenZ movie poster This is a copyrighted poster. ... David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Robert Lantos (born April 3, 1949, in Budapest, Hungary) is a Canadian film producer. ... David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress. ... David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an Academy Award nominated English actor, who is known as Jude Law. ... Sir Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September 1931), born as Ian Holm Cuthbert, is an English actor. ... Willem Dafoe William Willem Dafoe Jr. ... Donald Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian actor, writer, and filmmaker. ... Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born September 14, 1960 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England) is a Scottish-Canadian television and film actor. ... Christopher Eccleston (born on February 16, 1964) is an English stage, television and film actor, best known as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who and other work in television, and for his roles in several high-profile low-budget films. ... Sarah Polley Sarah Polley (born January 8, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian actress, singer and film director. ... Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian film composer, best known for composing the score to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. ... Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis is a Toronto-based media company. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1999. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... ISO 4217 Code CAD User(s) Canada Inflation 2. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1999. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Poster for 2001: A Space Odyssey, an archetypal science fiction film Science fiction film is a film genre that uses speculative, science-based depictions of imaginary phenomena such as extra-terrestrial lifeforms, alien worlds, and time travel, often along with technological elements such as futuristic spacecraft, robots, or other technologies. ... David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress. ... David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an Academy Award nominated English actor, who is known as Jude Law. ...

Plot

Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is the greatest game designer in the world and testing her latest virtual reality game, eXistenZ, with a focus group in what appears to be a church. To play the game, you must plug the 'pod', the organic future version of a gaming console, into a 'bio-port' near the bottom of your spine. As they begin, she is attacked by a fanatic assassin armed with a bizarre organic gun which is undetectable by security. Fearing other assassins, she flees with marketing trainee, Ted Pikul (Jude Law), who is suddenly assigned as her bodyguard. Unfortunately, her pod, containing the only copy of the eXistenZ game, is damaged in the assassination attempt. To inspect it, she talks a reluctant Pikul into accepting a bio-port in his own body so he can play the game with her. The events leading up to this, and the resulting game lead the pair on a strange adventure where it becomes impossible to tell if their actions are their own, or the will of the game, and impossible to tell if they are in the game, or in the real world. Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress. ... David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an Academy Award nominated English actor, who is known as Jude Law. ...

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is an American actress. ... David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an Academy Award nominated English actor, who is known as Jude Law. ... Sir Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September 1931), born as Ian Holm Cuthbert, is an English actor. ... Willem Dafoe William Willem Dafoe Jr. ... Donald Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian actor, writer, and filmmaker. ... Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born September 14, 1960 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England) is a Scottish-Canadian television and film actor. ... Christopher Eccleston (born on February 16, 1964) is an English stage, television and film actor, best known as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who and other work in television, and for his roles in several high-profile low-budget films. ... Sarah Polley Sarah Polley (born January 8, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian actress, singer and film director. ... Robert A. Silverman is one of several actors often cast by writer/director David Cronenberg. ... Kris Lemche (born in 1978 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada). ...

Reception

Awards

1999

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the most important film festivals in Europe and the world. ...

Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 741,329 (1 August 2006) Demonym Amsterdammer Coordinates Website www. ...

David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ...

2000

Genie Awards The Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian films and television, by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. ...

Golden Reel Awards David Cronenberg at Cannes 2002 David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director and occasional actor. ... Robert Lantos (born April 3, 1949, in Budapest, Hungary) is a Canadian film producer. ... The MPSE Golden Reel Award is an award presented by the organization of Motion Picture Sound Editors in categories related to the craft of audio post production, such as Sound Editing, Music Editing, Dialog Editing, and Sound Effect Editing. The award was first presented in 1953 and has continued into...

Saturn Awards David Evans may mean: David A. Evans, organic chemistry professor at Harvard David Allan Evans, poet David C. Evans (1924-1998), computer graphics pioneer David Gwilym Lloyd Evans, Glamorgan cricketer and first-class umpire David Howell Evans (b. ... John Laing plc is a British construction company headquartered in central London. ... The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. ...

Interpretation

The story is based on the confusion between reality and virtual reality as the characters move in and out of a quasi-organic role-playing computer game called eXistenZ, the aim of which is unknown. The players are linked to the virtual world of the game by a console that resembles a living lump of animal tissue which is connected to the player's nervous system through a 'bio-port' drilled in the player's lower back; however, near the end of the film the gamers seem to be connected to the virtual world by electronic devices connected to their heads and wrists. The ending, immediately following that switch into what appears to be a real world in which gamers were merely playing virtual reality, with electronic devices on their hands and wrists, leaves open the question of how many layers of virtual reality are still left between characters and the real world. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... A virtual world is a computer-simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. ... The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. ...

The virtual world of the game features many aspects of traditional video games, particularly graphical adventure games of the 1980s and early 1990s. Some of these are explicit, such as the repetitive "loops" of actions that minor characters perform, or the need to provide certain trigger phrases to make progress possible. There are many other references that are more subtle, for example the sparsely populated nature of the game world and the physical proximity of certain locations for no sensible reason (e.g., a Chinese restaurant next to a fish processing factory in thick forest). Another trait repeatedly used is the tendency of characters within the game to perform certain actions to quickly establish their personality which, presented in a more real world, make no sense. Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Adventure is a genre of video game typified by exploration, puzzle-solving, interaction with game characters, and a focus on narrative rather than reflex-based challenges. ...

There is a tension throughout the film between what appear to be rival game companies (Antenna Research and Cortical Systematics) that want to gain the services of a famous game designer, or kill the game designer if they cannot gain cooperation, while a third party known as the Realist Underground tries to subvert both game companies.

The plot involves existentialist themes, similar to The Matrix. However, both films were released in the same year, but The Matrix received far more attention. Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individualism, individual freedom, and subjectivity. ... The Matrix is a science fiction/action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. ...

Philosophical issues

The film calls into question the nature of reality and how to discern between reality and illusion.

It also raises ethical issues surrounding the distortion of reality and how it might equate to psychosis for those who become psychologically absorbed into their virtual roles as characters within a game.

The film portrays the emotional reasons for the popularity of video games, and explores the theoretical issues of self-reflexivity and absorption of a game player for the sake of entertainment. Playing the game is compared to psychosis, following implanted "game urge" to advance the plot: a meek marketing trainee acts increasingly like a macho sociopath, while the game's designer becomes narcissistic and grandiose. Free will is also discussed; several times the characters are compelled by "game urges" to commit acts in order to advance the game. When Pikul asks Geller if there is any free will in the program, she replies that, as in real life, there's "just enough to make it interesting". Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state in which thought and perception are severely impaired. ... Marketing is a social and managerial function that attempts to create, expand and maintain a collection of customers. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ...

Other films that depict similar existential problems that emerge from virtual reality are Abre Los Ojos, The Lawnmower Man, The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, Total Recall, TRON, The Truman Show, Vanilla Sky and Cronenberg's own earlier Videodrome and Naked Lunch. The film also mirrors parts of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". The same themes are often explored in many stories by Philip K Dick. Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individualism, individual freedom, and subjectivity. ... Open Your Eyes redirects here. ... The Lawnmower Man is a 1992 film which uses elements from Stephen Kings short story The Lawnmower Man. The films original script, written by director Brett Leonard and producer Gimel Everett, was titled Cyber God and had nothing to do with Stephen King. ... The Matrix is a science fiction/action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. ... Movie Poster The Thirteenth Floor is a 1999 film released to cinemas in Germany and the United States (as The 13th Floor). ... Total Recall is an American science fiction film released on June 1, 1990 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Ronald Shusett, Dan OBannon, Jon Povill and Gary Goldman. ... Tron is a 1982 Walt Disney Productions science fiction film starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn (and his counterpart inside the electronic world, Clu), Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley (and Tron), Cindy Morgan as Lora Baines (and Yori) and Dan Shor as Ram. ... The Truman Show is a 1998 movie directed by Peter Weir, written by New Zealander Andrew Niccol, and starring Jim Carrey. ... Vanilla Sky is a 2001 film which has been variously characterized by published film critics as an odd mixture of science fiction, romance, and reality warp [2], part Beautiful People fantasy, part New Age investigation of the Great Beyond[3] a love story, a struggle for the soul, or an... Videodrome is a 1983 film directed by David Cronenberg. ... Naked Lunch is a 1991 film by the Canadian director David Cronenberg. ... Platos Allegory of the Cave is perhaps the best known of his many allegories, metaphors, and parables. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982), often known by his initials PKD, or by the pen name Richard Phillips, was an American science fiction writer and novelist who changed the genre profoundly. ...

Trivia

Fast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 â€“ March 2, 1982) was an American science fiction writer. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is a typically complex novel by the science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... A Maze of Death is a 1970 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... WD-40 comes in various sizes WD-40 is the trademark of a widely used penetrating oil (cleaner, lubricant and anti-corrosive solution) developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, then working for the Rocket Chemical Company, to eliminate water and prevent corrosion on electrical circuitry. ... WD-40 comes in various sizes WD-40 is the trademark of a widely used penetrating oil (cleaner, lubricant and anti-corrosive solution) developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, then working for the Rocket Chemical Company, to eliminate water and prevent corrosion on electrical circuitry. ... Videodrome is a 1983 film directed by David Cronenberg. ...

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