Technotise: Edit & I
I ran a Google search of Bluelight and was surprised this 2009 Serbian animated film hasn’t been mentioned once.
Synopsis (partially borrowed from wiki):
After failing the same university exam for the sixth time, Edit Stefanović decides to visit a dealer on the black market who installs a stolen military chip in her body that will record everything she sees to help pass the exam. Edit also has a job at a scientific and social research company taking care of Abel Mustafov, a mute autistic math genius who discovered a formula that connects all forces in the world, but no computer was able to calculate it fully without becoming self aware and shutting down immediately after that. Mustafov is also apparently able to presage future events but will not communicate what he perceives. Members of the research facility and the military hope his limited social response to Edit will lead to further revelations. When Edit stumbles across his formula by accident the implanted memory enhancement chip becomes self-aware and begins to grow, incorporating itself into her body and nervous system symbiotically.
The plot of
Technotise is very much in the cyberpunk tradition. Though it has its own unique storyline, fans of Ghost in the Shell will notice many overlapping themes – the most prominent of which deal with identity, artificial intelligence, and the ambiguity between life and non-life – as well as some direct allusions.
Technotise is also surprisingly funny. At first I was disappointed that the animation was CGI shaded to look like cell animation, but it quickly became clear that a lot of artistry was invested in creating an original aesthetic. A few highly psychedelic stills and some fractal animation add further variety to the style. By the end I had the impression that I’d seen a labor of love that most likely flew under the radar due to its Serbian creators’ modest ability to market it (I've since read that the entire movie was made in a small apartment in Belgrade by just 10-15 people over five years).
Technotise: Edit & I is available streaming through Amazon Prime.
