''Daft Punk's Electroma'' (also known as ''Electroma'') is a 2006

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

film directed by the French

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

duo

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

. The story revolves around the quest of two

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

s (the band members, played by Peter Hurteau and Michael Reich) to become human. The music featured in the film is not by Daft Punk, which was a first for the duo after their previous film and

home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...

releases, '' D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes'' and '' Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem''. The duo instead served as directors and co-wrote the film, along with Daft Arts manager Paul Hahn and collaborator Cédric Hervet. The film premiered at the

2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai served as jury president for the main competition, the first Chinese to preside over the jury. English filmmaker Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or for th ...

, and was later released in France on March 24, 2007. While initially receiving mixed reviews, ''Electroma'' has gained a cult following. Daft Punk used scenes from the end of the film to announce their break-up on February 22, 2021.

Plot

The two lead characters appear as the robotic forms of

and are credited as "Hero Robot No. 1" and "Hero Robot No. 2". One wears a silver helmet and the other wears a golden one. An opening scene shows the duo driving in a 1987 Ferrari 412 with its license plate displaying "HUMAN". After passing through a

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

landscape, the duo arrives by car at a town in

Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a County (United States), county in the Eastern California, eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the po ...

. The town's residents are also shown to be robots physically identical to the two main characters, but at different ages, with different clothing and alternating gender. The pair drive to a high-tech facility where liquid

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

is poured over their heads. The latex morphs into human-like faces with the aid of

prosthetic In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (Congenital, congenital disord ...

appliances and wigs. The resulting look caricaturizes the members of Daft Punk,

Thomas Bangalter Thomas Bangalter (; born 3 January 1975) is a French musician. He is best known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, alongside Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. He has recorded and released music as a member of the trio Music S ...

and

Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo (; born 8 February 1974) is a French musician. He is known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has produced several works from his now-def ...

. When the two leave the facility, the locals of the town are shocked by their human appearance. The townsfolk gradually begin to chase the duo, whose faces eventually melt in the sun. The two take cover in a public restroom where the gold robot discards his ruined mask, then encourages the reluctant silver robot to do the same. Again appearing as robots, the pair then undergo a lengthy hike across desert salt flats. After walking for an extended period, the silver robot slows down and comes to a stop. Becoming aware of this, the gold robot walks back to the silver one. The silver robot continues to stare at the ground for a moment before removing his own jacket. He then turns away from the other robot, revealing a switch on his back. The gold robot flips the switch, which begins a timer. When the countdown ends, the silver robot is blown to pieces. The remaining robot piles the remains of the silver robot, then continues to walk. The gold robot eventually falls to his knees and attempts to reach the switch on his own back, but to no avail. Another moment passes before the robot removes his helmet and repeatedly slams it into the ground until the helmet shatters. Using one of the shards as a

burning-glass A burning glass or burning lens is a large convex lens that can concentrate the Sun's rays onto a small area, heating up the area and thus resulting in ignition of the exposed surface. Burning mirrors achieve a similar effect by using reflectin ...

, the robot focuses the sunlight to set his hand ablaze. The film ends as the robot, completely on fire, walks in

slow motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

through darkness.

Cast

* Peter Hurteau as Hero Robot #1 * Michael Reich as Hero Robot #2 * Ritche Lago Bautista as Robot Groomsman * Trisha Hershberger as Robot Bride * Daniel Doble as Robot Pastor * Athena Stamos as Robot Waitress * Bradley Schneider as Robot Lawyer

Production

's previous directorial credits include the

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s for their songs " Fresh", " Robot Rock" and " Technologic". The duo initially shot footage for a music video of the song " Human After All", but expanded the content for a feature-length film instead.Interview with ''Electroma'' actor Peter Hurteau
. danideahl.com. Retrieved on January 14, 2008. According to

, ''Daft Punk's Electroma'' had been an unplanned extension of filming videos for the '' Human After All'' album.

stated, "With this film, we had the same approach as when we started making music. Create without any rules or standards. Take a free approach to something new that you don't really know, and that you learn from scratch." The film was shot on 35 mm

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

stock under the

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

of Bangalter. He purchased and read over 200 back-issues of ''

American Cinematographer The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

'' in preparation for the feature-length picture.Punk fiction
'' Guardian Unlimited''. Retrieved on August 4, 2007. Filming of ''Daft Punk's Electroma'' spanned 11 days, much of which was spent in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Many scenes of the film took place in Inyo County along U.S. Route 395 and in the town of

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. The robotic and makeup effects were designed and created by frequent collaborators

Tony Gardner Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor and doctor. He sits on the national governing body of the actors' trade union Equity. Early life and education He attended St Augustine's Catholic College in Trowbridge. Career Gardne ...

and Alterian, Inc. In April 2011, the Ferrari 412 used for the film was auctioned for charity, alongside the original 'HUMAN' license plate signed by Bangalter and Homem-Christo.

Music

The soundtrack for ''Daft Punk's Electroma'' does not feature material by Daft Punk. As stated by de Homem-Christo, "We come from a musical background, but this movie is quite minimal."Midnight feast of sights and sound
News.com. Retrieved on May 31, 2007. The following songs are featured in the film: *"International Feel", written and performed by

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...

*"In Dark Trees", written and performed by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

*" Billy Jack", written and performed by

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

*" Miserere", written by

Gregorio Allegri Gregorio Allegri (17 February 1652) was an Italian Catholic priest and composer of the Roman School and brother of Domenico Allegri; he was also a singer. He was born"Allegri, Gregorio" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes ...

; performed by A Sei Voci Ensemble *"Universe", written by Sebastien Tellier and Mathieu Tonetti; performed by Tellier *"String Quartet in E Flat Major Op. 64, No. 6", written by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

; performed by the Kodaly Quartet *"If You Were My Man", written and performed by Linda Perhacs *"No. 4 in E Minor 4 preludes, Op. 28, written by

Fryderyk Chopin The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awar ...

; performed by Adam Harasiewicz *"Dialogue", written and performed by Jackson C. Frank

Release

The film was first shown on May 21, 2006, as part of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

sidebar Directors' Fortnight.''Daft Punk's Electroma'' review
variety.com. Retrieved on February 26, 2007. Midnight screenings of ''Daft Punk's Electroma'' were shown in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

theaters from the end of March 2007.Daft Punk's official MySpace page
Retrieved on February 25, 2006. The film was also screened at

Biennale In the art world, a biennale ( , ; ), is a large-scale international contemporary art exhibition. The term was popularised by the Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895, but the concept of such a large scale, and intentionally internationa ...

Montréal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

on May 11. It was shown in the

Australian Centre for the Moving Image ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is Australia's national museum of screen culture including film, television, videogames, digital culture and art. ACMI was established in 2002 and is based at Federation Square in Melbo ...

on June 7, at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

(ICA) in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on June 8Institute of Contemporary Arts - Film - Daft Punk's Electroma
ica.org.uk. Retrieved on November 23, 2007. and at Kino Arsenal in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on July 4, 2007. The film went on a screening tour of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, beginning in July 2007 and ending in October at the BBC Electric Proms. The ICA later announced a few late night weekend screenings for November 2007, but based on turnout and interest, extended the screenings to continue until January 2008. In December 2007, the film was shown in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

as part of a tour of independent film screenings sponsored by the

Scion Scion may refer to: Horticulture *Scion (grafting), in horticulture, the upper part of a combined plant Arts, entertainment, and media Characters *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scion, avatar of the warrior en ...

line of

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

cars.Route07: Scion Independent Film Series
Retrieved on December 7, 2007 Vice Records sponsored Canadian midnight showings on December 7 in Victoria, Banff,

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significa ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

.Daft Punk's Electroma official MySpace page
Retrieved on December 7, 2007. Further showings in Canada were screened during January 2008 in Toronto,

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

. The

DVD-Video DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVDs. DVD-Video was the dominant consumer home video format in most of the world in the 2000s. As of 2024, it competes with the high-definition Blu-ray Disc, while both rece ...

of the film was first released in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

on June 6, 2007.Aztec International Entertainment
aztecinternational.com.au. Retrieved on June 10, 2007. It is distributed by Aztec International Entertainment. According to the official ''Daft Punk's Electroma'' website, it is available in the UK as of November 19, 2007.Because Music presents ''Daft Punk's Electroma''
electroma.org. Retrieved on July 16, 2007. Vice Records released the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n DVD on July 22, 2008; reports of a

Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...

release by Vice were later labeled "a mistake" and retracted by the company. The DVD is packaged with a 40-page book of film images in either a SteelBook or slip case.Daft Punk Makes Blu-ray
''

Home Media Magazine ''Home Media Magazine'' was a trade publication that covered various aspects of the entertainment industry, home entertainment industry, most notably home video distribution via VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and digital copy. The magazine also covered news ...

''. Retrieved on March 25, 2008. The film became available for online viewing on the Lycos Cinema platform as a rental streamed at either standard or high definition. It is also available for online rental or purchase at the iTunes Store, and for streaming on TIDAL. On 22 February 2021, Daft Punk released a video titled "Epilogue" on their YouTube channel, featuring scenes from the film. Following a clip in which the pair bid each other farewell in the desert before one of them walks away and explodes, a new title card reads "1993–2021". It was later confirmed that the YouTube video served to announce Daft Punk's breakup.

Reception

Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported that 60% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 5.50 out of 10. The film's showing at Director's Fortnight was received with mixed reactions. ''Daft Punk's Electroma'' was praised for its lensing technique and musical soundtrack at the premiere. At the same time, the film was unfavorably compared with

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

's ''

Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...

'' and

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse. Gallo was ...

's '' The Brown Bunny'' for its extensive hiking sequence. The scenes involving the main characters' desert trek reportedly caused a large portion of the audience to leave the theater at the

showing.Eye Weekly - On Screen
eye.net. Retrieved on February 27, 2007.Musique Vol. 1 website
archived from May 25, 2006.Robot madness? It can only be Daft Punk
guardian.co.uk. Retrieved on May 7, 2007. In regards to the film's reception,

expressed: Giving his own take on the film's reception,

also stated, "We expected it to be less popular than ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

'', of course. The film is experimental and inaccessible; however, it's a movie that does not require your brain to function." Reaction to the film's midnight screenings in

was reported to be positive as of the end of March 2007.''Daft Punk's Electroma'' news
thedaftclub.com. Retrieved on March 29, 2007. The screenings in the region were so highly received that the film's previously brief run was extended to six months. Most screenings in the

sold out quickly. In response to the film's midnight placement,

expressed, "We are really happy it has become a midnight movie rather than just another movie that will be taken off the screen after one week. Usually, and I think it is the same worldwide, you get all the big blockbusters and if the movie doesn't do good, after one week it is taken off the screen."

References

External links

* {{Daft Punk Electroma 2006 films American robot films Films shot in California French independent films American independent films Films about suicide 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2000s French films