RENAISSANCE. Perfectly on Point

It’s very easy to spot the numerous stylistic references that Renaissance by Christian Volckman is built upon. Its foundation, of course, is the legendary Blade Runner. The opening shot of the animation is a direct quotation from Scott’s film. From a giant screen hanging above the city, a woman with a hypnotic gaze and a slow, unsettling voice speaks to us, advertising a global, powerful corporation called Avalon. The motto of the commercial is the thought-provoking slogan: “We’re on your side of life.”

Another visual quotation lies in the comic-book aesthetic, most closely resembling Frank Miller’s Sin City. There is no room here for subtle shades in the dark tone — only black and white, aggressively contrasted in every frame. Renaissance may also evoke associations with the decadent, brooding atmosphere of Max Payne, the cult video game. All these elements guide the viewer toward a familiar aesthetic code. The dystopian vision of the future in Renaissance is alluring, while at the same time menacing and inhuman.

The film’s production scale is not merely a decorative wrapping or a formal extravagance concealing emptiness. Volckman’s animation is also a solid crime story (it belongs to the popular subgenre known as neo-noir), with rich, psychologically engaging characters. The protagonist is Detective Karas (voiced by Daniel Craig) — a man of few words but firm determination, whose moral compass remains unbroken. We first meet him as he rescues a young girl from blackmailers in an unorthodox way.

Soon after, his superior assigns him another task: to find Ilona Tasuiev, an Avalon employee conducting research in the corporation’s secret laboratories. Her disappearance attracts the attention not only of the police but also of the company’s executives. Ilona possesses information that should never leave the headquarters of the technological giant with totalitarian ambitions.

The creators manage to keep the viewer in a constant state of uncertainty and unease. Aside from the sympathetic Karas, every character is unpredictable and alien. Particularly successful is the thread involving Ilona and her kidnapper. They are connected by their scientific careers and a mentor–student relationship but divided by completely different moral codes. The question of who is the tormentor and who is the victim remains open almost until the very end. Naturally, there’s much more at stake here than a simple ransom. Karas himself is driven by intriguing, though never directly stated, motivations. Even though we don’t explore his past or private life, his actions alone capture our attention.

He seems to exist somewhere on the margins of police procedures and a uniform, nearly lifeless society. His work gives him the necessary adrenaline, but he also performs it out of a sense of duty. With a badge on his chest, it’s perhaps easier for him to collect good deeds. Renaissance tells the story of a grim world where only faint traces of humanity still flicker.

The vision of Paris in the second half of the 21st century amplifies and exaggerates everything we already experience in urban spaces today. The multi-level city is dominated by skyscrapers that obscure the sky. It seems that the dense, labyrinthine architecture has swallowed all its inhabitants. Paris is completely desolate and devoid of life. The skyscrapers radiate coldness, but also a sense of permanence, symbolizing the indestructible order of the world. It is a time of depressive stagnation and slow decay. In this context, the use of black and white takes on a new meaning. It is, of course, an impressive formal device, but also a highly effective metaphor. It may seem that this city simply no longer possesses any other colors — it has expelled them from existence. Only in a few individuals do faint shades of gray remain.

New technologies, omnipresent screens, and holograms hovering above the sidewalks create a disturbing sense of informational noise, further emphasizing alienation and entrapment. Humanity seems to have lost control over its surroundings. The boundary between the artificial and the real has vanished. Most unsettling of all, the inhabitants of Paris don’t seem particularly bothered by it. They have unconsciously stepped into a new era. Against this backdrop, the sensitive detective Karas may become someone genuinely close to the viewer.

Renaissance is not a revolution in science fiction cinema. It follows well-trodden paths but extracts the maximum from them. Volckman knows precisely what material he’s working with. Renaissance is a film crafted with watchmaker’s precision and infused with creative passion — expressed through its meticulous execution, measured to the millimeter at every stage of production. Every frame and composition, every line of dialogue, every edit is perfectly on point. Renaissance is a prime example that good cinema doesn’t always have to be original.