In a dystopian future, insurance fraud investigator William Gold arrives in Shanghai to investigate a forgery ring for "papelles", futuristic passports that record people's identities and genetics. Gold falls for Maria Gonzalez, the woman in charge of the forgeries. After a passionate affair, Gold returns home, having named a coworker as the culprit. But when one of Gonzalez's customers is found dead, Gold is sent back to Shanghai to complete the investigation.
Cinematography
Shanghai locations shot like alien planet, no greenscreen needed
Acting
Morton's vulnerability against Robbins' slowly cracking restraint
Score
Understated electronic hum that feels like emotional anesthesia
Director
Michael Winterbottom
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot entirely on location in Shanghai, Dubai, and London without permits in some cases—Winterbottom wanted real future cities, not built ones.
The 'papelles' system was inspired by post-9/11 biometric passports and insurance industry data mining, making it more documentary than speculation now.
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