Code 46

In a near-future world, cities are reserved for people whose identities and genetic records are officially approved, while those without valid documentation are confined to bleak surrounding zones. William Geld works as an insurance investigator and carries an empathy virus that lets him sense other people's thoughts. He is sent to Shanghai to look into forged papelles, the documents that control where a person may live and travel. There he becomes involved with Maria Gonzales, who works for the Sphinx corporation and is suspected of selling false papelles to people the system excludes. Their relationship puts them both in conflict with a society that regulates intimacy according to genetic rules.

Michael Winterbottom directed the film, working from a screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce and produced by Andrew Eaton. It was Winterbottom's sixth feature in a career of fifteen films, coming between 24 Hour Party People and 9 Songs. Tim Robbins plays William, with Samantha Morton as Maria; Om Puri, Nabil Elouahabi, Emil Marwa and Nina Fog are also credited. Made for a modest budget, the film drew a limited audience: it holds a 6.2 out of 10 from 413 votes on TMDB, while critics gave it 6 out of 10 across 104 reviews, placing the two measures close together.