Timecode

Timecode (2000) is Mike Figgis's experimental drama, free to watch online on iFILM. The screen is split into four equal frames, each running its own story at the same time — all four captured in a single unbroken take, in real time, with no cuts.

The setting is a small independent studio in Los Angeles. Burnt-out producer Alex dreams of walking away to Tuscany, his wife Emma is weighing a divorce, and ambitious actress Rose will manipulate anyone to land a screen test. Rose's jealous girlfriend tails her from a parked car, waiting for her moment. The four threads brush against each other through a shared sound or a glance, leaving you to choose which corner of the screen to follow. The cast includes Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Kyle MacLachlan, Saffron Burrows and Danny Huston.

Figgis ran fifteen continuous takes and kept the last one whole, with most of the dialogue improvised on the spot. This is a film for viewers who enjoy the mechanics of the trick as much as the plot — a formal gamble that's often more fascinating to dissect than to watch. Stream Timecode (2000) online on iFILM.