Code 46
A government investigator risks his status and family life for a forbidden affair with the document forger he was sent to expose in a multilingual dystopian future.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- paranoid
- intimate
- late night viewing
- arthouse science fiction marathon
What critics said
Critics found an imaginative, atmospheric dystopian romance whose ideas and visual world are undermined by murky rules and an underdeveloped speculative framework.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
William investigates forged papeles in a world where travel permits determine access to cities and social belonging.
William and Maria’s affair is constrained by visa limits and the consequences of a Code 46 violation.
The film combines cloning-related identity questions with authoritarian administration and unequal citizenship.
William’s fixation on Maria is complicated by amnesia and uncertainty surrounding what he remembers.
Films like Code 46, and why
Gattaca
near-future dystopia, forbidden romance, and identity anxiety within a tightly controlled society
Never Let Me Go
romantic longing, artificial identity, and melancholy science fiction atmosphere
Brazil
surreal bureaucratic control, opaque rules, and alienated lovers in a speculative world
The Lobster
intimate dystopian romance shaped by state surveillance and social restriction
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Winterbottom
- Release Date
- 2003-09-02
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (415)
Cast
- Tim Robbins
- Samantha Morton
- Nabil Elouahabi
- Om Puri
- Emil Marwa
- Nina Fog
- Bruno Lastra
- Togo Igawa
- Natalie Mendoza
- Jeanne Balibar
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Code 46 about?
- A government investigator risks his status and family life for a forbidden affair with the document forger he was sent to expose in a multilingual dystopian future.
- What is Code 46 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Code 46 as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Code 46 violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Code 46 as mild.
- What did critics think of Code 46?
- Critics found an imaginative, atmospheric dystopian romance whose ideas and visual world are undermined by murky rules and an underdeveloped speculative framework.
- Which films are like Code 46?
- Films with a similar feel include Gattaca, Never Let Me Go, Brazil, and The Lobster.
- How long is Code 46?
- Code 46 runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Code 46?
- In United States, Code 46 streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
