The film stars Jeremy Davies and Angela Lindvall, also co-starring Élodie Bouchez, Jason Schwartzman, Giancarlo Giannini, Gérard Depardieu, Billy Zane, John Phillip Law, and Dean Stockwell.

The film features an original soundtrack by French electronic band Mellow, which was released on Emperor Norton Records.

Andrezej is utterly infatuated with his film's star who is playing Dragonfly, Valentine (Angela Lindvall), a young American whom he discovered at a political rally.

Paul, an aspiring filmmaker himself, regularly borrows cameras and other equipment in order to film his own project: a black-and-white documentary of his own self-reflections.

Andrezej is first replaced with the shallow, flashy Felix DeMarco (Jason Schwartzman), but ultimately the producers settle on Paul as the new director.

Paul is also challenged by the apparent work of a saboteur, who cuts up footage before it can be edited, and who sends cryptic threatening messages to the remaining crew.

And, in a secondary scene shortly after, Paul gets a hint that slavishly filming all the events in one's life may not be the best way to capture their fleeting genuine essence.

It is unexpected, satisfying, and for Codename: Dragonfly even astonishing, carrying in its plot twist an emotional heft and genuineness that lifts the otherwise cheesy movie.

Despite signs of stature, he is asked by a festival participant to pass along a script to Felix DeMarco, as though he is still in the other man's shadow and suggesting quality and sincerity must always compete with the shallow and foolish.