Science fiction in cinema, especially in a context where it remains little explored, is a perilous genre, demanding both on a narrative and technical level. With 404.01director Younès Reggab offers a futuristic thriller with a sober aesthetic, between psychological tension and ethical questions. If the audacity of this proposal is obvious, the film nevertheless leaves a mixed impression, tossed between promises and narrative flaws.
The scenario, centered on Amna, a neurosurgeon confronted with a mysterious voice emitted by the radio frequency 404.01, unfolds an intriguing universe, where the border between destiny and free will is gradually erased. The theme, halfway between science fiction and psychological drama, is intriguing with its approach: a misguided technology which manipulates its victims, playing on their moral dilemmas and their most intimate fears. These ideas are rich, but their treatment sometimes lacks subtlety.
Audacity hailed
Reggab's staging adopts a slow rhythm, coupled with a stable and worked image which focuses on depths and spaces. This bias, although justified by the director, would have deserved a more nervous editing to better support the dramatic issues. The directional lighting and the music, intended by the filmmaker to be “emotionally rich”, contribute to creating a heavy atmosphere, although this sound richness does not always compensate for the sometimes diluted tension.
The interpretation of Hassna Moumni in the role of Amna is a strong point. She manages to intensely translate the torments of her character, trapped in an unhealthy game between moral obligations and personal survival. However, certain secondary characters, despite honorable performances, struggle to go beyond their function as a narrative tool, like the police inspectors Salma and Chakib.
But obvious flaws
As producer Mohammed Eddarhor points out, producing a science fiction feature film is a major challenge, and 404.01 bears its traces. The film's conceptual ambitions are laudable, but they crumble under the weight of certain clumsiness: explanatory dialogues, under-exploited secondary narrative arcs, and an ending which, although intended to be open, frustrates more than it fascinates.
Despite its shortcomings, 404.01 remains an interesting and necessary attempt in a cinematic landscape where the science fiction genre remains marginal. If the film does not fully convince, it nevertheless opens a door to future more accomplished explorations, and testifies to a sincere desire to offer a different cinema, where narrative ambition takes precedence over easy recipes.
404.01 is a courageous attempt, both captivating and perfectible, a film which deserves to be seen, if only to salute a rare and promising initiative.
