Nirvana

Plot synopsis:
The film tells the story of a virtual reality game designer, Jimi (Christopher Lambert), who finds out that the main character of his game, Solo (Diego Abatantuono), has achieved sentience due to an attack by a computer virus. Asked by his creation (who feels everything the character in the game feels, including multiple deaths) to eliminate its existence, Jimi sets out to erase the game from his employer's server before it's commercially released, and thus spare Solo further suffering.Jimi feels desperate because his wife Lisa (Emmanuelle Seigner) left him. He starts to search for her as he tries to delete Solo from the game. These two paths of his life complement in the story throughout the whole film. By the end, Jimi hacks into one of the company's servers. This hack is in the world of virtual reality interpreted as encounters with persons from Jimi's life. That is the way the network defends itself. It tries to keep the hacker's mind in the loop of his own memories as it burns the hacker's brain. The only way to pass through the network defence mechanism is to free one's mind. To forget about life before or after, to forget about bodily feelings, and to enter a state of pure concentration where one focuses only on the target (in this case the server with the company's bank account). It is similar to meditation where one tries to concentrate on breathing; people who are able to do this are called angels (they are invisible to the system, can go anywhere they want, and their possibilities are limitless). In the end, Jimi feels enlightened. He is in inner peace with himself. He saves the character, understands why Lisa left, and understands why the things happened the way they happened. He is in the state of Nirvana.

Tags: romantic, alternate reality, sci-fi

Review:
No, no, it's not thought-provoking like eXistenZ of David Cronenberg and then again YES forget about Matrix - Nirvana is magical in a way a Hollywood film will never be.
While the movie doesn't have the big budget a Hollywood blockbuster would have had, it still manages to create an interesting & convincing near-future world.
Actually, it's one of the few films that really manage to create a decent cyberpunk setting; right now, I can only think of "Nemesis" which was a pretty good effort, and then there's always "Blade Runner", of course...As for the acting in this movie, it's always tough to rate the level of acting when the movie is dubbed, but all in all I'm not complaining.
Lambert is good, and Diego Abatantuono (sp?) is interesting as the sentient game character Solo - and kind of appropriate, too, since he has the physical look of a real-life "Mario on steroids".
That is totally incidental.The movie is about the voyage towards Nirvana - the real thing - of two men (or maybe of one man and his own projection in a virtual world): how the two (or maybe the man and his own inner conscience) start to understand what Nirvana is and how they eventually reach it, in spite of all misadventures and (that is not casual at all...) the cycles of deaths and rebirths that the virtual self Solo (meaning alone, in Italian, not Star Wars' character - again not a coincidence) has to go through.This is a movie about symbolisms.
Searches that cannot be disturbed by petty concerns (see Bebo Storti's apparently bizarre line after he appears in a flash for just a few seconds to shoot and kill a very unlucky henchman "I am MEDITATING [profanities deleted]!").Science fiction is incidental to its aims, and provides a fabulously well used tool to unravel the story in what I regard as a cinematic masterpiece.Blade Runner's climax ended on the recognition that replicants (and humans, maybe) were just "tears...
An European hard-science action movie is rare these days, especially a good one, and Nirvana was a good surprise when released in France...
This is not a Wakowsky Bros  frenzy festival with "bullettime effect" (did you know that it was a french who created them ?) and kick-ass fighting, but Gabriele Salvatores (an "intellectual" director as it seems) did an excellent low-budget film with GREAT scenario, GREAT acting (Lambert at his best, seriously), a credible world...
He's got something in common with Solo, thats why he decide to help him, erasing the game, his last an great creation, Nirvana, before its too late.
and this movie represents it.Here there is everything: Sprawl, Hacking, Virtual Reality, Surviving, Cybermad, Corporations, Future....
Jimi, a computer programmer, is trying to finish his latest role-playing computer game Nirvana for the Okasama Star corporation.
He is surprised to find that Solo, the lead character has developed awareness of his location in the game, the fact that every time he dies he is reborn, and that he is doomed to live out the same life and situations over and over again.
Jimi is also battling painful memories of his own - his lost girlfriend who disappeared from his life leaving only a video recording and a picture to remind him of her...Although there is not much in this film for action buffs, there is conceptually a link to other films about simulated experience such as Total Recall and The Matrix, as well as some existential musings on the nature of memory and experience in the digital age where such things can be easily synthesised.
A delightfully ambiguous ending emphasises the film's main themes.Good use is made of a medium budget to simulate an anarchic future world sliding into decay, with a decline in morality and a low value placed on the sanctity of life and the human body - the streets of the slums are replete with organ thieves; and Joystick's synthetic eyes are a physical complement to Naima's synthetic memories.
OK, so you've always wondered what the matrix would be like with a good leading actor (rather than the wooden Reeves), a better script, no spectacular action scenes, and low budget.
Then I found out that's because the Miramax (DVD) is a total hack job of the original film, with 20 minutes chopped off and distracting dubbing of all the actors' voices.
In case you didn't already know, the original film is in Italian, and it was dubbed into English for this particular DVD.The story itself is really interesting, and it's a cut above all the other cyberpunk movies that were churned out in the late 90s capitalizing on the burgeoning net culture.
"Nirvana" is set in a dystopian future à la Bladerunner and follows 3 days in the life of a software programmer (Christopher Lambert) who is about to deliver his masterpiece virtual reality game called Nirvana.
The movie then splits into 2 concurrent timelines, one with Lambert trying to stop the game's release, and two with the video game character trying to understand his own existence.With a good dose of action, lots of style and peppered with some good unexpected comedic moments, the film is entertaining.
If you watch the Miramax DVD (96 mins) be sure to take it with a grain of salt, or as I'm trying to do, hunt down the original 113 min Italian version which is generally loved by all who have seen it..
Nirvana results to be a peculiar Sci-Fi film with an intricate screenplay dealing with the complex relationships between a game designer and program and how the main character , through a virus, controls the artist .
Jimi (Christopher Lambert), a successful computer game creator , finds that his latest issue has been infected by a virus which has possessed consciousness to the program's main role named Solo (Diego Abantautono).
Jimi affected by the memory of his fled sweet heart named Lisa (Emmanuelle Seigner)and begged by Solo to finish its useless "life", starts a search for someone who can help him both to discover what happened to Lisa and to delete his game before it is released .
I won't say that there aren't any issues because there are but overall the acting is pretty flawless.The reason that I think Nirvana is more reviewable than pretty much any other film is the story and the philosophical and cyberpunk elements of the story because with every viewing I catch something I didn't see the previous time I watched it.
Nirvana not only supplies the world with a whole new level of passable special effects mixed with style and substance, it also brings a whole new meaning to the word 'cyberpunk'.
It can also be seen only on its surface, and it will look fine: nice action, good FX, great casting...If you're looking for some truth in your life, and want some guidelines, less restrictive than religion try this Hi-fi Virtual-based piece of wisdom.
There are B Sci Fi movies and then there are B Sci Fi movies with Christopher Lambert, much in the same way Bruce Campbell enjoys the unofficial bad ass award when it comes to B Horror Movies.This is a gem for fan's of the genre, other's may not enjoy or understand how to enjoy a movie like this.
It's been called 'psychedelic', but I think, it's a perfect piece of cyber-punk as well and if you're a fan of William Gibson, then Nirvana is definitely a MustSee: brilliant soundtrack, mesmerizeing environment, adequate characters (Chr. Lambert really stars!), excellent dialogue etc, etc..
Basically if you liked "The Matrix", "Diva" and "Subway" you will love this movie which transfers the cyberpunk visions of William Gibson, Bruce Sterling et al to the screen in as accomplished a way as Blade Runner foreshadowed those same authors.
Even though the budget was obviously not huge the production manages to feel "big" in the way it gives you a real feeling that you are seeing a full environment/world and not just a bunch of back-lots and interiors.The way that Lambert as Jimi, computer games designer, interacts with his cyber-creation Solo is very funny and at times quite touching as he comes to realise he has a responsibility toward this digital creation which leads to a clever co-joining of the "real" and digital world of the computer game.It is a movie that asks some interesting questions about what it is that we create inside a computer and whether it has any consciousness, rights or artificial intelligence of it's own - quite relevant in these increasingly virtual times.Throw in a fantastic soundtrack and you have one of the best VR movies ever (not a large genre, but growing) which would easily hold it's own in a double bill with "The Matrix".SEE IT - If you can find it!!!.
The movie deals with homosexuality, deformity, grief, relationships, drug use, the power of the state, sexual depravity, overwhelming desire, delusion with an uplifting beat like some kind of Nirvanic Angel, skipping through and over the pit falls of life with a grin and a spliff hanging from her mouth.There are so many spiritual motifs running through this movie that if you are not that way inclined the main storyline of spiritual liberation, could easily be lost and judging from the mixed reviews has been lost.If you have a practice you will recognise a lot of what's going on here.
I have never seen Nirvana listed on the Buddhist movies to see list but it should be right up the top, mainly because it's context is the life we all lead, technology, drug use, desire.
I've seen the Italian version and I found the dubbing marvelous,in particular Lisa-Emmanuelle Seigner, the interpretation very good, I really loved Solo-Diego Abatantuono in this new role.
Jimi decides to leave his normal and blank life of programmer to find his beloved Lisa, his life, in a cyberpunk "blade runner like" world.
His story interlaces with Solo's story, the main character of the Jimi's video game.
Chris Lambert plays Jimi Dini in one of his rare top notch actings,a video game programmer who discovers that a renegade virus has infiltrated his computer and infected his newest creation,the cost,the main character realizes he is condemned of doing the same repetitive things,so he asks Jimi to erase him,so he needs to hack into the companies mainframe,well that´s the premise that makes the Matrix look like one of the most unoriginal movies of all time..
I really liked this movie, it was intense, fast-paced, with a very good, or should I say suitable, soundtrack.
And I was kinda disappointed that the movie was dubbed into English, since I partly went to practice my Italian ;).
This little movie which flirts with the idea virtual reality gaming is a delight to look at but has an underwritten script.
I would never expect anything intelligent or original from a B-movie, but Nirvana was neat.
This film has a colourful portrayal of the future, which plays with several different kinds of computer graphics, not to mention some other good quirks, like talking houses, alarms, and a computer game character who gains self awareness and has the ability to talk to his player.
I watched it in Italian, so bad dubbing was not a real problem for me (even if Christopher Lambert is clearly not speaking Italian).
A lot of reviewers compared this to films like Johnny Mnemonic and The Matrix, but that is just inviting disappointment.
The same ideas of games becoming too real, intermingling with reality, to the player's downfall.The film has several things going for it.
One is Christophe Lambert, who is always funny in any movie, no matter how bad it is.
The best thing, in my opinion, is that it is a truly Italian film, rather than a clone after an American movie, a feeling that is enforced by Diego Abatantuono playing the role of Solo in a typical Italian way.
Other things, like the scene with the guy killing someone in the corridor because they were making too much noise 'ma che cazzo?!' or the car antitheft device spouting Italian insults are good examples.The cyberpunk theme is clearly influenced by William Gibson's vision (I mean, what cyberpunk film isn't?), and in a way steals a lot of the elements you see in Johnny Mnemonic, released just two years earlier, but the moral of the story is more metaphysical in nature.As much as I liked all of these elements in the film, I have to also complain about a lot of others.
Not as bad as many people say and not nearly as good as it could have been, Nirvana is a take on the emotional politics of our cyber-future in way that only the french could have interpereted.
Lambert (as Jimi) delivers an understated performance as a man caught between the near-reality of a game character's (Solo's) world and that character's newly found self awareness -all while existential feelings creep over his personal VR headset.The effects are very light but surprisingly appropriate for each scene used.
A programmer for the 'Osaka Star' company finds the main character in his latest video game work becoming self aware and starting to speak to him, wanting him to delete him so that he doesn't have to go through the life death cycle of the game anymore.
The version of "Nirvana" that I watched was badly dubbed into English, which didn't do it any favours.
Unfortunately, the crappy clichéd dialogue wasn't all that was bad about this film."Nirvana" plays out like a badly-adapted sci-fi novel, directed by someone who's watched "Blade Runner" and "Alphaville" far too many times.
The concept of a virtual reality video game character becoming self-aware and having an existential crisis COULD be an interesting one if it was handled by a writer with the talent of Philip K.
In the near future Jimi Dini is a computer programmer working on Nirvana  the newest and most expansive video game experience out there.
Haunted by memories of his ex-girlfriend, Jimi is given a different focus when one of the characters in his game "Solo" appears to have developed consciousness as a result of a computer virus infecting the software.
While Solo attempts to work out the world around him and negotiate his rigid world of regular "game overs", Jimi tries to get to the source of the game and delete the source.My first impressions about this film were mainly directed by my instant aversion to the bad dubbing and the obvious budget limitations but I tried to get passed them and look at the story and the ideas within the script instead.
In the "real world" things are delivered with a visual flair that a better budget would have made great but the material really isn't there for the viewer.I won't add my voice to the moans about bad dubbing etc because a lot of the criticism here is blunt and thoughtless, but I will agree that this is a pretty weak film.
Filmed at a time when Christopher Lambert's Hollywood glory days were over, Nirvana's only flaw is it's low budget.
With limited means it went as far as a movie could get before kung-fu fighting and CGI became a regular staple in SF genre.What we see here is a near-future dystopia where drugs and virtual reality are a part of everyday life.
Nirvana is a pathetic movie.Be very far away from it.
Nirvana is a horrible and repulsive film.This is a very pathetic movie and I do not know what was Christopher Lambert thinking when he accepted the role in this movie.It seems that the director of this movie is laughing at the people who see it.I cannot believe how this movie was released in cinemas.From the first scenes(which seem a very bad joke),it seems that the movie is gonna be really bad.Nirvana is one of the worst movies in the history of the cinema.Be very far away from it.This movie could only be seen by students of cinema to show them how to don't make a movie.Rating:1(sadly it can't be 0).
As he showed with his excellent film, "I'm Not Scared", the director is up to the challenge.This film will resonate with sci-fi and cyberpunk fans who will clearly see a lot in this intricate movie that has some of the best special effects in quite some time.
Christian Lambert plays his role of Jimi Dini in his usual deadpan style, which helps set the tone of the movie.
Diego Abatantuono, one of the best Italian actors of the last years makes a contribution with his Solo.
Stefania Rocca, Emmanuelle Seigner, Amanda Sandrelli, add their beauty to the story."Nirvana" is a great film to look at, in the tradition of others of the genre.
I like a lot of things about "Nirvana" - the ambiance, the soundtrack, most of Lambert's performance, the central "quest" of his character, and the general depiction of a future world in which most human meaning and connection has been subsumed by virtual realities.I don't rate it as high as I might for a couple of reasons: 1) The actual depiction and rationale for Solo's abrupt shift to self awareness isn't convincing at all, and neither is the depiction of the game itself.
I will gladly admit that some of this might be an issue with the dubbing in English, but I have to respond to the movie I saw, not whatever it was like in the original Italian - this is why I always prefer to hear the original voice acting and read subtitles if I can.3) Let's face it, the screenplay just drags in spots.
After returning to America, I have seen the English-dubbed DVD.***SPOILER:***  I DO have a problem with the crux-point of the story: a computer-character's ascension to self-actualization because of a virus(!) is a little too extreme for me to accept.