“Sometimes a movie isn’t what you think. It can offer a different perspective or solution to a crisis . . . so long as you can crack THE CODE.”
Eugene Kotlyarenko opens his 2024 film, The Code, with this quote, credited to Orson Welles. This is the film’s thesis: a secret signal that will not be understood until later on that the film is not all that it seems. The film centers around Celine Unger (Dasha Nekrasova) and Jay Richard (Peter Vack) as they attempt to rekindle their relationship; and their goal is simply to have sex with each other, but they are also their biggest obstacles. Celine is filming a documentary about love under quarantine; but Jay is paranoid that it is really a biased film about their relationship and where it is failing, which will result in him getting canceled again. The two repeatedly go behind each other’s back to “help” one another, only resulting in chaos and undermining, a comedy of errors.
The film is, first and foremost, a comedy; but where the comedy falls short, it excels as a mockumentary. Many mockumentaries, such as The Office (NBC 2005-2015), What We Do in the Shadows (Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, 2014), Best in Show (Christopher Guest, 2000), and many others, rely heavily on the traditional documentary style of talking head interviews and observational-mode footage. However, The Code finds its place within the mockumentary genre as a modern take on the form, experimenting in a world of social media and influencers. The footage is intercut with TikTok videos on full display, handheld camera footage from Celine’s camcorder and Jay’s cell phone, as well as multiple security cameras placed throughout their apartment. When Celine and Jay conduct internet searches, we see the results either on their phones or computer screens, and there is a charming and fun scene of them in an escape room that is shown through security footage. This is one of the few scenes where the audience gets a true sense of their relationship and that they truly enjoy one another.
Celine and Jay are shallow and difficult to like; Celine creates TikTok videos to market herself and how she is attempting to solve problems within her relationship. While many comedies present couples like this as caricatures, such as Best in Show’s Meg Swan (Parker Posey) and Hamilton Swan (Michael Hitchcock), The Code’s Celine and Jay take themselves seriously. They are trying to find solutions to their troubles in paradise, even if their solutions put on full display how toxic they are toward each other.
The film, on the surface, seems to present their relationship so as to question influencers and certain behaviors that were prevalent during the pandemic. It not only attempts to question the differences between the influencer’s on-and-off camera personality, but also the dichotomy between partners who are cautious in times of crisis and those who throw caution to the wind. It presents these conversations through the perspective of this couple in their journey to heal their relationship, and so they are easily overlooked by their personal mission.
While the film is an energetic experiment with how modern mockumentaries can look and function, it also has trouble finding its footing. The intercutting between mockumentary mode and narrative film is jarring at times, leaving it unclear as to what is fictional or not. This is, perhaps, the point of the film. There is The Code that Jay and Celine need to crack, but also The Code that the audience needs to crack. Perhaps this code is the absurdity of anti-maskers or of people who still threw house parties and tried experimental vaccines during a global pandemic or of self-centeredness in romantic relationships. Perhaps it is a cautionary tale informing us that the influencer’s on-screen personality cannot be trusted, since it is a carefully constructed fabrication.
No matter what the film’s messaging is, Jay and Celine will put it on the back burner while they attempt to fall in love again and complete their own documentary, reminding the audience in the end credits that their reality cannot be trusted—and this is where the mockumentary mode fails. The end credits function as an extra scene in the film; and while the design of end credits can be fascinating in some cases, it is important to note where actors and crew members are getting credit, and to make this point clear, instead of scrolling through what may or may not be a fictional IMDb page. This is a creative take on the end credits sequence, but one that perhaps erases the fine line between fiction and fantasy that mockumentaries cautiously approach.
Overall, the film is a fascinating take on the mockumentary genre, and an interesting look at another side of the pandemic. It was delightful to see a scholastic screening at this year’s thirtieth Cucalorus Film Festival that was hosted by the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and even more delightful to try to crack The Code.
Author Biography
K. A. Vale is a nonbinary filmmaker who recently earned their MFA in Filmmaking from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). They are currently pursuing an MA in Film Studies from UNCW and intend to graduate in May 2025.
Film Details
The Code (2024)
USA
Director Eugene Kotlyarenko
Runtime 98 minutes
