IN THE near future, papelles - official documents comprising a passport, visa and insurance cover rolled into one - are a highly desirable commodity.

Citizens cannot travel between zones without the correct papelles; roadblocks and rigorous security stem the flow of migrants and refugees, preventing unauthorised cross-border travel.

Consequently, considerable amounts of money can be made on the black market, trading in counterfeit documents.

When a fraudulent papelle is traced back to the Sphinx Insurance Company in Shanghai, investigator William Geld (Tim Robbins) is dispatched to the factory to apprehend the employee responsible for the bogus paperwork.

During a series of interviews, William interrogates the staff and he narrows down the list of suspects to just one - fellow loner Maria Gonzalez (Samantha Morton).

Rather than report Maria for her violation, William follows her and the couple spend the night together before he returns to his wife and son in Seattle.

In William's absence, Maria realises that they have violated Code 46, a law designed to guard against procreation between DNA-unsuitable partners and to prevent any accidental or deliberate genetically incestuous reproduction.

As decreed, Maria's embryo is swiftly aborted and her memory of the affair with William is erased.

Soon after, one of Maria's clients with a fake papelle dies, and William is sent back to Shanghai to fulfil his professional duty and unmask her as the culprit.

However, his powerful love for Maria, who no longer remembers him, clouds William's judgement and compels him to consider risking his career and his marriage.

Code 46 is a dreamy love story set in a world scarred by the effects of genetics and cloning.

Director Michael Winterbottom and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce imagine an emotionally cold vision of the future, scorched by increased global warming, which is not too far removed from the present.

Some of the fictional technology, such as an Empathy Virus pill which allows the user to read another person's mind, is neatly innovative but for the most part, the film grounds itself in recognisable urban reality.

Cinematographer Marcel Zyskind shoots almost exclusively with available light, evoking a haunting and melancholic mood.

Robbins and Morton deliver strong performances as the strangers at the mercy of fate and their genes, who are powerless to resist a brave new world of sensual experience.

DAMON SMITH