Tesla

Written and Directed by Michael Almereyda
Starring Ethan Hawke, Eve Hewson and Kyle MacLachlan
Running time: 1 hour and 42 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13, for some thematic material and nude images

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport 

“Everybody wants to rule the world…”

In terms of making a motion picture about the famed Nikola Tesla, filmmaker Michael Almereyda is practically perfect in every way. I can’t think of a filmmaker, except for maybe say, Miranda July that would be more fitting to tell the story of the eccentric inventor, Nikola Tesla. 

If you are a fan of Michael’s previous work, such as the film Experimenter, then you’re aware that he doesn’t follow a conventional way of storytelling. With his use of scenic backdrops, miniatures and mixed media, Almereyda is one of few directors that truly walk to their own beat. In Tesla, his unique vision is once again on full display, which for many will most likely be confused as style over substance. Knowing Tesla had a unique personality, I can only imagine he would be pleased with his life being depicted in such a far out way.

The story of Tesla has often been muddied, especially in iterations such as The Current War which serves more as propaganda, paints a picture that the titans of electricity, Edison and Westinghouse, were responsible for electricity as we know it today. It runs with the theory that Tesla was a minor figure. Unlike Almereyda's version, The Current War  fails to show the mistreatment, spiteful and often extortive behaviors possessed by the two now famed men. Many tales have not shown the true genius that Tesla was, nor demonstrate his position of valuing science over the mighty dollar. As the film reveals, in searching google, Nikola Tesla will bring up about less than half the results Thomas Edison will, despite Tesla being the founder of the form electricity that we benefit from today. [I just checked the numbers and it’s currently about ⅔, but those numbers were probably correct when the script was written.-ed.]  Tesla is portrayed by the nonconformist, Ethan Hawke, which essentially was the second best Tesla casting choice since David Bowie portrayed him in The Prestige. 

Almereyda’s story isn’t perfect, but it also does not flow the way that a typical historical biopic does. It attempts to weave a love story in by showing a rather conflicted relationship that Tesla had with J.P. Morgan’s daughter, Anne Morgan (Eve Hewson). This really does not go anywhere, as Anne seems to be the only one committed to a relationship. It’s plain to see who Tesla’s real love was: science. There were often moments where I forgot this was a biography, especially with some of the liberties Almereyda takes. He takes chances, by creating hypothetical moments within the film that are utilized, in my opinion to plant a seed with the viewer and leave one with that “what if” feeling. Like when Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan) invites Tesla for pie (as a Twin Peaks fan, I was delighted by this moment as were much of the audience at Sundance) and admits that he was wrong about alternating current and they should just start anew, for they could accomplish so much together. Of course, none of this happened. Edison would spend his life in a never ending pissing contest of sorts with Tesla and Westinghouse. Rather than collaborating, his time would be consumed with tearing Tesla’s ideas down by electrocuting dogs, horses and elephants in an attempt to dissuade others from using alternating current. Experiments that would eventually lead to the revolting invention of the electric chair as a form of capital punishment. An invention that he helped design strictly to ward off people from believing in Tesla’s ideas. Edison would continue to promote his more cumbersome direct current method despite it being less widely applicable. 

For Edison, it was not just about the money, it was about the notoriety. The few moments that Almereyda shows us Edison was enough for me to make up my mind about him. A scene in which he tells his future wife that they could learn Morse code, as this way they wouldn’t ever need to speak. This guy was NO. 

Something I am fond of in Almereyda’s depiction of these influential creators is the vastness they were able to accomplish, but how much more they could have done if they worked together. By setting aside their differences, who knows what they would have brought the world. The film manages to paint their discrepancies as petty, childish quarrels with their arguments involving ice creams used as dueling swords. 

This will not be a film for everyone. Some will find the offbeat script to be more than they signed up for. Others, like myself will find they never knew they needed a Tesla karaoke version of “Everyone Wants to Rule the World” to make themselves feel complete. 

In theaters and on demand today.

Listen to the Old Sport’s soothing voice on the MJ podcast Cinematic Crypt.