''Paranoia: 1.0'' (originally ''One Point O'', also known as ''1.0'', ''One Point Zero'', ''Version 1.0'', and ''Virus 1.0'') is a 2004

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

dystopian horror mystery written and directed by Jeff Renfroe and Marteinn Thorsson. The film is a

Kafkaesque Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...

nightmare in which a young computer programmer is an unwitting guinea pig in a corporate experiment to test a new advertising scheme. The film stars

Jeremy Sisto Jeremy Merton Sisto (born October 6, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Billy Chenowith in HBO's '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), NYPD Detective Cyrus Lupo in NBC's ''Law & Order'' (2008–2010), George Altman in the AB ...

and Deborah Unger and features

Lance Henriksen Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in various science fiction, action and horror genre productions, including Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise and Frank Black in the Fox television series ...

Eugene Byrd Eugene Byrd (born August 28, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Wink in ''8 Mile (film), 8 Mile'' and List of Bones characters#Clark Edison, Dr. Clark Edison on the Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX series ''Bones (TV series ...

Bruce Payne Bruce Martyn Payne (born 22 November 1958) is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, film director and theatre director. Payne is best known for portraying villains, such as Charles Rane in ''Passenger 57'', Jacob Kell in '' Highlander: End ...

and

Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, he has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He has ...

Plot

A computer programmer and network engineer Simon J. (

) begins finding empty plain paper packages in his apartment. Simon goes to great length to try and secure his apartment, but the packages keep appearing. Simon attempts to find out who is leaving the packages. At the same time, Simon, who works in IT, is under pressure to complete a programming project. Simon has also become obsessed with purchasing Nature Fresh brand

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

. One of Simon's friends, a courier named Nile (

), tells Simon that he needs to remedy his social isolation. During his investigation, Simon becomes acquainted with his eccentric neighbours in the block of apartments where he lives. The lifts within the apartment block have ceased working and the corridors are filled with security cameras. Derrick (

), who occupies an apartment across the hall from Simon, has developed an artificial intelligence robot head, which Simon finds intriguing. Derrick suggests that the Neighbour (

), who occupies the apartment next to Simon's, may be responsible for the packages. Simon confronts the Neighbour, in the corridor, and asks him whether he has been leaving him packages. The Neighbour, exuding charisma and macho-ness, simply laughs at him. Simon follows the Neighbour to and from a nightclub. In the nightclub, Simon sees the Neighbour interacting with a number of women, including Trish (

Deborah Kara Unger Deborah Kara Unger (born 12 May 1966) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' Highlander III: The Sorcerer'' (1994), '' Crash'' (1996), '' The Game'' (1997), '' Payback'' (1999), '' The Hurricane'' (1999), ''White Nois ...

). Trish notices Simon staring at them. On the way home from the nightclub, the Neighbour soon realises that he is being followed and pulls a knife on Simon. When the Neighbour realises who Simon is, he invites him into his apartment for a drink. Before entering his apartment, the Neighbour smashes the security cameras in the corridor. When Simon enters the Neighbour's apartment, he becomes aware that his refrigerator is filled with cans of cola 500. The Neighbour invites Simon to participate in a virtual reality sex-game that he has developed and which features Trish. Simon immerses himself within the virtual reality game. When he exits the game, he finds the Neighbour bleeding and dying. The Neighbour advises him that he had also been receiving packages, before dying. Simon subsequently develops a romantic relationship with Trish. Trish is obsessed with orange juice. As Simon continues his investigations, a number of other murders begin happening in the building. Simon becomes aware that the other residents are receiving packages too but were keeping quiet. Simon also learns that the other residents are becoming addicted to certain products. The only person in the apartment who is not affected is the janitor, Howard (

). Nile tells Simon about a corporate experiment to ‘infuse’ Nanomites into people's brains to make them addicted to certain products. Simon dismisses Nile's claims as a lie, but eventually realises that he is telling the truth.

Cast

as Simon J. *

as Trish *

as Derrick *

as Neighbor *

as Howard *

as Nile * Emil Hostina as Landlord * Constantin Cotimanis as Detective Polanski *

Sebastian Knapp Sebastian Knapp is a British actor. He was born in 1980 in London. He has been an actor since age 6, and is best known for playing the role of Saint John in ''Son of God Historically, many rulers have assumed titles such as the son of God, ...

as Detective Harris * Constantin Florescu as Tall Man * Ana Maria Popa as Alice * Matt Devlen as Cashier * Udo Kier and Jeremy Sisto both voiced the robot head

Production

''Paranoia 1.0'' was an international co-production, and was shot entirely in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It premiered in competition at the 2004

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

under its original title (''One Point O''). The programming code seen in the film is from Viralator 0.9. The directors cited a number of influences on the film including

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

' ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' () is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, wi ...

'',

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

's ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...

'',

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

's '' Red Desert'',

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company Powell and Pressburger, The Archers, they together wrote, produced ...

's ''

Peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. She is mainly remembere ...

'' and

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and ...

's ''

Videodrome ''Videodrome'' is a 1983 Canadian science fiction body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and Debbie Harry. Set in Toronto during the early 1980s, it follows the CEO of a small UHF telev ...

''. Frances Dyson contended that the film is similar to films such as ''

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

'' and ''

Johnny Mnemonic "Johnny Mnemonic" is a Cyberpunk short story by American-Canadian writer William Gibson. It first appeared in '' Omni'' magazine in May 1981, and was subsequently included in ''Burning Chrome'', a 1986 collection of Gibson's short fiction. It tak ...

'', in the preponderance of grime and consistency of a metal and dirt futuristic aesthetic. The parts of Derrick and Trish were written with

and

in mind.

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama '' The Pianist'' (2002) becoming the youngest acto ...

was set to play Simon, but this fell through and

was cast.

joined the cast after filming had begun in

Awards and honors

; 2004 :;

(Park City, Utah, USA) :: Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic Category; Nominated: Jeff Renfroe, Marteinn Thorsson. :;

Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernat ...

(Sitges, Spain) :: Nominated Best Film; Recipients: Marteinn Thorsson, Jeff Renfroe. :;

Fant-Asia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival, also known as Fantasia Fest or simply Fantasia, is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. Regular ...

(Montreal, Canada) :: AQCC Award-Mention: Jeff Renfroe, Marteinn Thorsson; Best International Film (Jury Prize): Jeff Renfroe, Marteinn Thorsson; Most Ground-Breaking Film (Jury Prize): Jeff Renfroe, Marteinn Thorsson. ; 2005 :;

Edda Awards The Edda Award is an accolade bestowed annually by the Icelandic Film and Television Academy, and is the most prominent film and television award in Iceland, awarded annually in February. The ''Edda'' has awarded for outstanding work in various cat ...

(Iceland) :: Edda Award Best Picture (nominated); Best Production Design: Eggert Ketilsson (nominated); Best Sound or Music: Bradley L. North, Byron Wilson, Ann Scibelli (nominated); Director of the Year: Marteinn Thorsson, Jeff Renfroe (nominated). :; Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema (Spain) :: Best Actress: Deborah Kara Unger; Best Film: Jeff Renfroe, Marteinn Thorsson; Youth Jury Award (Best Feature Film): Jeff Renfroe, Marteinn Thorsson.

Reception

One reviewer stated that 'If Philip K. Dick was reading

Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...

, got freaked out and wrote ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

'', which was then directed by

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

, you might end up with something like this'. Phil Davies-Brown stated that the 'film is such an accomplished piece of work with rich texture, amazing use of location, lighting and camera and fine performances from some of the genre's most respected talents'. Commenting on the performances of individual cast members, Davies-Brown stated that

'was his usual weird self but it worked a treat', that '

was intimidating', that

was 'hilarious', that

was 'mysterious' and that

'turned in his best performance in a long while'. Neil Karassik stated that the film was 'enjoyable and visually admirable'. Ryan Cracknell commented that 'while the story is very original combining the techno-edge of ''

'' with

’ ''

'', it's the mood and atmosphere where the filmmakers really shine'. Ultimo Franco gave the film a score of 3 out of 5, commented that 'the film looks beautiful' and stated that 'fans of

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

and

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

should find a lot to appreciate here'. The film was given a score of 9 out of 10 on the website Cyberpunkreview.com, which stated that the film 'has perhaps the most biting commentary on advertising and software development you will find anywhere'. Andrea Ballerini stated that 'the movie has all the classic ingredients of the cyberpunk genre: a dystopian environment, powerful corporations trying to rule the citizens, the role of technology in the development of society, the pros and cons of progress'. Hildur Loftsdóttir gave the film three stars out of five, noted the influence of

and

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

and stated that the story was 'both original and well thought out'. Rainer Heinz described the film as a 'Kafkaesk-morbid thriller with effectively interwoven set pieces from films like ''

'', ''

Matrix Matrix (: matrices or matrixes) or MATRIX may refer to: Science and mathematics * Matrix (mathematics), a rectangular array of numbers, symbols or expressions * Matrix (logic), part of a formula in prenex normal form * Matrix (biology), the m ...

'', ''

Cube A cube or regular hexahedron is a three-dimensional space, three-dimensional solid object in geometry, which is bounded by six congruent square (geometry), square faces, a type of polyhedron. It has twelve congruent edges and eight vertices. It i ...

'' and ''

Delicatessen A delicatessen or deli is a grocery that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany (contemporary spelling: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th centur ...

'' and a fascinating colour and image aesthetic'. He also stated that the film was 'a gripping and dark science fiction thriller, which achieves its effect not least from brilliant image design'. Hal Astell stated that the film 'is a real triumph, an intelligent science fiction story that deliberately removes itself from time and place yet remains utterly timely'. Simon Hyslop described the film as 'a treat for anyone with an appreciation for the quieter, artier manifestations of the sci-fi genre'. A reviewer for ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' stated that 'sci-fi drama and paranoid thrills drive this smart and highly original chiller'. A Hungarian reviewer stated that the film contained a 'large dose of social criticism disguised as a thriller'. Scott Foundas was more critical of the film, stating that it 'frantically stitches together images and ideas lifted from

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

, ''

'' and films by

, only to end up with a haphazard

Frankenstein monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...

of a movie'. Brian McKay was also critical of the film, stating that 'the plot and character development are about as thin as the atmosphere on

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

'. Erik Childress stated that the 'film is very much like ''

Soylent Green ''Soylent Green'' is a 1973 American dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final film role. It is loosely based on the 1966 science-fiction nove ...

''...as our protagonist wades through a creepy and dank futuristic setting before being hit over the head with a staggering realization' but that 'like the

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

cult classic, there's a lot of atmosphere to engulf an audience but it becomes tiresome, only to get really interesting again in the final scenes'. In 2007, the film was listed as one of the “Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time” by ''Snarkerati'', a popular movie web-magazine. Kelvin Polowy stated that 'like ''

'', the film plays on corporate and technological paranoia, and it's a stylish if not ground breaking entry into the subgenre'. In an academic appraisal of the film, Angelos Koutsourakis stated that 'the film's representational solution to the complexity of

surveillance capitalism Surveillance capitalism is a concept in political economics which denotes the widespread collection and commodification of personal data by corporations. This phenomenon is distinct from government surveillance, although the two can be mutuall ...

draws on the

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

understanding of capital as vampiric dead labor that feeds on the workers bodies and brains during their labor time; but here the dead labor of capital is pictured consuming individuals even during their leisure time and this coincides with Zuboff’s argument that...surveillance capitalism feeds on every aspect of every human's experience'.

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, one_point_o
One Point O (Paranoia 1.0)
at ''Cyberpunk Review'' * ''One Point O'' o
Snarkerati's “Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time” list
2004 films 2000s science fiction thriller films 2000s dystopian films Cyberpunk films American dystopian films Romanian thriller films English-language Romanian films Films shot in Romania American science fiction thriller films Films shot in Bucharest Films directed by Jeff Renfroe 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language science fiction thriller films