8th Wonderland (2008)

Directors:

Nicolas Alberny
Jean Mach

Writers:

Nicolas Alberny (writer)
Jean Mach (writer)

Release Date:

13 January 2010 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

How to fight a country that doesn't exist?

Plot Keywords:

Thanksgiving | Revolution | Group Leader | Pharmaceutical Industry | Gun

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Matthew Géczy	...	John McClane
Robert William Bradford	...	David
Alain Azerot	...	César
Eloïssa Florez	...	Isabella
Ahlima Mhamdi	...	Rachida
Michael Hofland	...	Karel
Luca Lombardi	...	Giovanni
Dimitri Michelsen	...	Dawson
Irina Ninova	...	Ludmila
Laetitia Noyon	...	Andie
Gerald Papasyan	...	Ahmed
Pierre-Luc Scotto	...	Alain
Nicolas Vayssie	...	Esteban
Jesse Joe Walsh	...	The Printer
Anton Yakovlev	...	The Russian President

Runtime:

France:94 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

M.A.D. Films

Many things changed since Alice visited the first Wonderland …

This movie, directed by the two fairly inexperienced but obviously over-ambitious and talented French filmmakers Nicolas Alberny & Jean Mach, quite possibly has the most original and avant-garde screenplay that I've seen in many years. It's also another proof that you don't need a lot of money in order to make a film that is captivating and groundbreaking. "8th Wonderland" clearly cost next to nothing, but witty satirical ideas and superbly drawn characterizations don't require a large budget; just an intelligent and versatile crew and an enthusiast ensemble cast. The concept of "8th Wonderland" is simultaneously simple and genius. The title refers to the very first virtual nation in which people of all nationalities, religions and cultures unite in chat rooms to debate and vote on how they could improve ruling the outside world. And this time the members – citizens, if you will – of 8th Wonderland aren't loud-mouthed geeks hiding safely behind their computers, but devoted and resourceful academics that put their words into deeds as well. On a weekly basis, the citizens of 8th Wonderland democratically vote on an initiative during a referendum and subsequently appoint someone to execute the agreed actions. Whether it concerns placing condom vending machines in the Vatican, abduct world class soccer players to have them fabricate their own shoes amidst child laborers or boycotting the nuclear energy negotiations between Russia and Iran, the initiatives of "8th Wonderland" always make the world press and the virtual nation becomes immeasurably popular very fast. Parallel with the success, inevitably the first obstacles and issues arise as well. Frauds declaring themselves the mastermind behind 8th Wonderland, the safeguarding of loyal members after they risked their lives, dealing with the public opinion in case of false advertising or unpopular initiatives or feeling the burning breath of hunting FBI services in their neck. "8th Wonderland" definitely isn't an adrenalin-rushing thriller (most of the time it's just people talking straight into the camera, like they are in chat rooms) but it's nevertheless a compelling and politically engaging cinematic experiment that deserves all the praise and recommendation it can get! The characters are identifiable, the depiction of the media and public opinions are accurate and precise and the dialogs are stupendously written. Some of the discussed initiatives of the 8th Wonderland committee appear to be far-fetched and impossible to carry out, but there's always a logical clarification of what they do and a plausible breakdown of how they do it. The credibility of "8th Wonderland" largely relies on small but important and punctilious details, like for example the chatters occasionally mixing in words and swearing of their own native language, authentic news bulletin images and reports and members deciding to leave the group out of fear for retribution. The ensemble cast is marvelous and the computer engineered effects (for example, the illustration of a virtual chatting circle) are reasonably impressive; especially for computer illiterates like myself. Recommended in case you're on the lookout for something entirely new, refreshing and creative.