X

Apple releases iPhone film by 'Eternal Sunshine' director

Commentary: Michel Gondry makes a movie for Apple, all shot on an iPhone, about a family vacation that has a little disaster.

Chris Matyszczyk
2 min read

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


gondry

It's hard when your tricycle leaves you.

Apple/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Are you running away?

For a vacation, I mean. Perhaps a permanent one, far away from the woes that surround you.

With perfect timing, Apple has just released a little movie to put you in the mood. 

All shot on an iPhone by Michel Gondry, he of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the 11-minute movie tells the story of a family loading up their van to get away to the coast.

All seems delightful. This is one of those peculiar families in which everyone likes each other and has a fine sense of humor. Until, that is, disaster strikes. 

The smaller child's tricycle falls off the back of the van. 

What follows is a tale of the tricycle's torrid desperation to be reunited with the family. Naturally, it relies on happenstance and nature, as it isn't an electric tricycle. 

Will it find a way to get back with the family? Or will the trike be Gondry with the wind? And why are those fish singing? 

These are just some of the questions you'll be asking yourself, as you become immersed in this oeuvre. 

I won't spoil the ending, but I suspect one or two people will find a political message hidden (not very) deep within. 

Perhaps, though, you aspire to making movies. In that case, you'll enjoy the fact that Apple has added some behind-the-scenes footage, as well as offering masterclasses to reveal some of the techniques Gondry uses to make this movie look like a movie.

You can learn these tricks and then shoot the movie of your own escape. 

One day, perhaps Apple will release it on its website and you'll become famous.

Tech Culture: From film and television to social media and games, here's your place for the lighter side of tech.

CNET Magazine: Check out a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition.