Loveland

In a futuristic Hong Kong, assassin Jack (Ryan Kwanten), crosses paths with a nightclub singer, April (Jillian Nguyen). As Jack becomes increasingly drawn to April his body mysteriously deteriorates. Jack tracks down reclusive life extension scientist Doctor Bergman (Hugo Weaving), in a search for answers. Doctor Bergman unearths Jack’s long buried secret and is forced to confront his own murky past. As the net that connects them tightens, Jack and April struggle for love as they face their past in a loveless world that is on the cusp of immortality and extinction.

With neon-lit cityscapes throughout the film, comparisons to Blade Runner are inevitable. Writer/director Ivan Sen states that the inspiration for Loveland’s neon palette comes not from Ridley Scott’s classic film, but from Hong Kong itself. In fact, it was the cityscapes and cinema of Hong Kong that inspired Blade Runner in the first place. The buildings of Sen’s future Hong Kong are adorned with neon lights - both outside and in. Sen, who also did the cinematography, douses his characters in bright colourful lights that act as a stand-in for human intimacy, serving to highlight the extreme alienation experienced by his characters.