Hidden Gem Alert: This Heartfelt Animation With 98% on RT Almost Took Home the Oscar
You might want to have a bag of Kleenex handy.
Recently, the touching animated film Robot Dreams was released on Prime Video – the work of Spanish director Pablo Berger.
The world premiere took place in the out-of-competition program of the Cannes Film Festival. There is not a single word in Robot Dreams, but this does not prevent the movie from making a strong impression.
Pablo Berger became famous for his adaptation of Snow White titled Blancanieves. The director transferred the story of a girl and the seven dwarfs to Seville in the 1920s and turned it into a love letter to silent cinema.
Robot Dreams is also a quiet film. Only the noise of the metropolis and the sound of the ocean waves accompany the viewer on a piercing journey of the joys of intimacy and the bitterness of loss.
What is Robot Dreams About?
New York, 1980s. Dog sits in his apartment, eating dinner alone. After seeing an advertisement for a robot friend, he immediately dials the number and makes a fateful purchase. The very next day, the long-awaited order arrives at Dog's doorstep.
After assembly, Robot comes to life and smiles at his new acquaintance. The companions wander the streets of a huge city, eating hot dogs and enjoying each other's company. Eventually, the hole in his chest is filled, and Dog no longer has to spend his evenings alone. But soon everything changes: the friends are destined to part, either for a while or forever.
Robot Dreams Is a Film About the Most Vulnerable Aspects of Our Lives
The world of Robot Dreams is populated by animals with human characteristics. Although the story takes place in the past, the presence of robots gives the plot a futuristic touch. Filmmakers often turn to the topic of AI to reflect on the fears of technological innovation and the ethical implications of the emergence of intelligent androids.
Berger is not interested in any of that. The robot from the store is woven organically into the fabric of the movie for one simple reason – to talk about the human suffering associated with the loss of a loved one.
Melancholic, tender, poignant, silent – hundreds of words can be used to describe Robot Dreams, but none of them can fully convey the essence of the movie.
For some, the film will be a reminder of lost love, for others an allegory of lost friendship, for others a manifesto about the value of human closeness and the need to care for each other no matter what.