STACK NZ Dec #58

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that we have hundreds of billions of cells that communicate with one another,” Besson explains. “Apparently, each cell sends out something like 1,000 signals per second. The Web is nothing compared to that. It took me a few years to find the right balance between what is real and what is fantasy.” In order to better understand the enigma that is the human brain, Besson consulted world- renowned neurologist and cell biologist Yves Agrid. “When Luc told me about the screenplay, I found it extraordinary,” Agrid recalls. “Still, I had to rein in his creativity a bit with facts, which was easy in the end, because he understands everything so quickly.” Agrid also notes that despite the wild premise and fantastical nature of the film, Lucy is very much anchored in scientific fact. “For instance, Lucy deals with the number of cells in the brain, the number of signals per second produced by one cell, etc,” he explains. “By taking advantage of all these figures, Luc implements a fascinating dynamic throughout the film. Of course, the more Lucy advances through the movie, the more the story becomes fictional, which I find extremely robust. When you see the film, you believe it. It grabs you because it’s grounded, to some extent, in reality.” Besson adds: “There’s a combination of factors that make this possible, involving really bad people and a new kind of drug. Well, it’s not exactly a drug; it’s a natural substance that pregnant women produce in the sixth week of natal development called CPH4. I came up with this idea, which according to some doctors I spoke with, is not entirely illogical. “At some point, when you open up the capacity of your brain, if you can access 20 per cent, you can open 30 per cent. When you reach 30 per cent, you can open 40 per cent and so on. It’s a domino effect. So Lucy is colonising her own brain, and she can’t stop it. She doesn’t want it, and she doesn’t even know what to do with it.” As to what happens when 100 per cent of the brain is accessed, you’ll have to see the movie, and Besson hopes that the experience will stimulate our own grey matter. “I want people

MIND OVER MATTER Writer-director Luc Besson claims his wild new sci-fi action-thriller LUCY has its basis in science fact. F rench filmmaker Luc

result is not so much the ultimate high as a higher state of being – ramping up her brain function and unlocking previously dormant superpowers and abilities. Lucy isn’t just another superhero film, however, but rather an existential exploration of the untapped powers of the human mind, and what would happen if we could utilise 100 per cent of our brainpower. The concept had been percolating in Besson’s

Besson established his reputation as a

visual stylist with films like La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element . But lately he’s been largely content with writing and producing slick action franchises like The Transporter and Taken . His new film, Lucy , sees him return to the director’s chair to deliver an exhilarating action-thriller that combines his past experience with both sci-fi and femme fatales.

Writer-director Luc Besson

Scarlett Johansson plays the title character, an “average girl” vacationing in Taiwan who is duped into becoming a drug mule for ruthless gangster Mr. Jang (played by original Oldboy , Choi Min-Sik). But when the package of blue crystals that’s been surgically implanted in her abdomen bursts and floods her system, the

own brain for a decade. Fascinated by the possibilities of such a scenario, he was determined to thoroughly research the subject to ensure that Lucy’s transformation was grounded in scientific fact. “After I met with a few scientists, I was amazed by what they told me: about the fact

to come out of the film and say, ‘Oh my God! I’d love to find out more about the brain and intelligence’, and then go online to learn more about it.”

• Lucy is out on Dec 17

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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