''The Drivetime'' is a 1995

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

directed, written, and produced by the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

-American filmmaker

Antero Alli Antero Alli is a professional astrologer who has authored books on experimental theatre, astrology and Timothy Leary's 8-circuit model of consciousness. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he conducts workshops and stages theatrical productions, ...

Plot

The film opens in the year 2023 in the Nostradamus Islands. A librarian named Flux recalls a series of earthquakes that destroyed the continental United States. A totalitarian government took control of the United States following the disaster, but video footage from the pre-earthquake world was lost. The government sends Flux back in time to the

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, of 1999, to locate video footage of a riot that took place prior to the earthquake. He arrives in a society where telecommunications technology has replaced human interactions and where police operations are presented as television entertainment. He also discovers the government is putting forth footage of non-existent riots as a means of establishing law and order.“Zooming in on Drivetime”, ''Wired Magazine'', October 1996
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Production

''The Drivetime'' was produced on a budget of US$5,000 (currently $).

Jesse Walker Jesse Walker (born September 4, 1970) is books editor of ''Reason'' magazine. The University of Michigan alumnus has written the books ''The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory'' (HarperCollins, 2013) and ''Rebels on the Air: An Alter ...

, ''Reason Magazine'', November 1996

Rob Brezsny Rob Brezsny is an American astrologer, author, and musician. His weekly horoscope column "Free Will Astrology" – formerly "Real Astrology" – has been published since 1980, and by 2010 was syndicated in around 120 periodicals. Care ...

, author of the syndicated newspaper column "Real Astrology", wrote the text for the film's psychedelic infomercials. Alli shot ''The Drivetime'' in five different video formats—BETA SP, HI-8, VHS, C-VHS, SVHS—and in Super 8 film. The riot footage was culled from the September 10, 1994, riots in Seattle's

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

neighborhood that protested alleged police brutality.“The Drivetime,” ParaTheatrical ReSearch
/ref>

Release

''The Drivetime'' was first screened at the Velvet Elvis Arts Theater in Seattle in August 1995. The film had a limited theatrical release and was later distributed on DVD. ''The Drivetime'' received mixed reviews. Phil Hall praised it in ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' as "one of the most chilling yet innovative cinematic essays on the flaws of today's technology-obsessed society" while Steven Seid of the

Pacific Film Archive The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA, formerly abbreviated as BAM/PFA) are a combined art museum, repertory movie theater, and archive associated with the University of California, Berkeley. Lawrence Rinder was Director from ...

praised the film's "provocative visuals" and noted it was "at its best when plying its 'televisionary' speculations about a spiritual resurgence that will overwhelm virtuality." However, Robert Firsching, writing for the ''Amazing World of Cult Movies'', dismissed ''The Drivetime'' as a “silly mess".Firschling, Rober
"The Drivetime"
''Amazing World of Cult Movies''

References

External links

''The Drivetime'' in the Internet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drivetime 1995 films 1995 science fiction films 1990s English-language films