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DOPAMINE (2003) (***1/2)

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Some people have found this film pretentious, but I found it fascinating. Some people found it too film school-y. I can see this with the end, but not throughout. The film was made as part of director Mark Decena’s schooling at the Sundance Institute.

Rand (John Livingston, EDTV), Winston (Bruno Campos, MIMIC 2) and Johnson (Reuben Grundy, TV’s A DIFFERENT WORLD) run a small tech company in San Francisco, working on developing an A.I. pet named Koy Koy. One night Rand and Winston meet Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd, TV’s SLIDERS) in a bar. There is an obvious instant attraction between Rand and Sarah, but Winston is more aggressive and moves in. When the investors want to test Koy Koy with kids, the guys run into Sarah again as she is the teacher at the school where Koy Koy is being tested. Rand and Sarah strike up a relationship, but their pasts hurt them from connecting 100%. Hurt by love, Rand lives in his head about “love” as a mere chemical reaction.

The love story is fairly predictable, but what makes the film work so well is the characters. Decena does a good job of defining Rand and Sarah as clear individuals with issues that effect their lives and the people around them. The story comes from the characters. The film also shows that you don’t need big name stars to find great performances. Livingston and Lloyd bring a real sense of truth and believability to the film. This is a solid love story that knows its characters and has something to say.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks