I’m Here

I’m Here (Director: Spike Jonze): A random Tweet a few days ago brought I’m Here to my attention, which seems fitting, since it’s a love story about robots. Spike Jonze’ made this 30-minute short film with support from Absolut Vodka, but it’s not at all a commercial for booze.

Sheldon is a robot library assistant leading a lonely and rather boring existence before a random encounter with Francesca, a free-spirited and creative robot, changes his life. As the two fall deeper in love, Sheldon realizes how much he is willing to give. The film is set in a present-day Los Angeles where humans and robots co-exist, although robots are subject to a form of racism and exclusion. But this isn’t at all a science-fiction film.

Instead, Jonze uses the fact that his protagonists are robots in the same way animators use that form, to break through the limitations that human actors face. These characters feel just as human characters would, except that Jonze uses their physical differences from humans in innovative ways to make a poignant observation about the nature of love.

Watch I’m Here in its entirety online

(8/10)