by If you have heard the film Robot dream was among the five nominees for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscar ceremony and said, “What the hell is that?” You are not alone. This brave little film, directed by Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger, has made its way to the United States. After premiering to raves at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Robot dream It slowly went through a few more festivals and had a brief, under-the-radar run that qualified for an Oscar in the US. But the film’s distributor, Neon, did not receive a wide release in front of the stage before the Oscars, leading many to question their release strategy and go so far as to claim that they completely stole the film’s momentum. .
While there is merit in the question of whether the film could have been bigger and a different approach to its release, they fall by the wayside when you sit in front of Robot dream, which draws you in from its opening shots of New York City in the 1980s with vivid illustrations. Here, a bipedal dog named Dogs languishes within his apartment, channel surfing between playing rounds of Pong. The glow of the television draws him from his window, where he can glimpse other animal couples and friends enjoying their time together. When Dog sees a TV ad for a mail-order mechanical friend called Robot, he jumps at the chance for a partnership, and Robot dream‘ It becomes a sweet story.
When this dialogue-free animated film can take you in just 102 minutes, it’s nothing short of amazing. The film is a visual and audio feat, with delightful Foley work and a beautifully composed score keeping its pace at a pleasant stroll. The fact that the film has no dialogue makes it even more powerful. Robot dream aim for your soul with a story that transcends language; his hard moments come not from words, but from actions. It may sound trite to say that love is the only language that everyone understands, but that is not the case, and the film finds great new ways to show this. And although it is not all cheerful, Robot dream‘ Sadder moments make this whimsical friendship story more real.
For its first 20 minutes, Robot dream brims with the sweet, sunny vibrancy of a hot summer day in the city. After Robot comes together, Dog collects his purchase and finds that although Robot needs a little guidance in assimilating with the community, this is money well spent. The two become fast friends, flipping Tab together as they stroll down the street past laundromats, bakeries, barbershops, and electronics stores, each filled with their unique character finds. A trip to Central Park begins the film’s central narrative when Robot and Dog hold hands while searching for a place to skate. Seeing the two friends slaying on their skates, a nearby lion breaks a boom box, and the two skaters dance to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September.”
A still from Robot Dreams.
Wild Bun
This is a critical part of the needle drop Robot dream he will find his way back into the story again and again, somehow never tiring the audience despite “September” being a great yet overplayed classic song. (I don’t hear arguments to the contrary!) The next scene features a beautiful piano cover, when Dog and Robot take a trip to Coney Island to relax on the beach. Putting a robot in the water seems like a risky move, and even though this advanced piece of technology can swim and dive, Robot still needs some oil to be able to move after touching the ocean. It’s a mistake that Dog doesn’t understand, and when the beach closes and Roba can’t get up to go with him, Dog tries his best to help his friend before turning in and leaving home for the night, returning in the morning with some oil to take it home.
There’s just one problem: That day was the end of the season, and the beach is now closed until next summer. And although Dog tries everything in his power – legal or otherwise – to go down to the beach to save his friend, he always has problems. Suddenly, this little film turns grim, but Berger and co-writer Sara Varon handle this twist with careful hands and realism. We are reminded that occasional rifts in friendship are no one’s fault, but that doesn’t make them hurt. As the seasons change – and Dogs watch the calendar, waiting for the beach to reopen – Dogs and Robots realize that finding someone you’re really close to is much harder than they ever realized.
Although this may seem like a simple point of view, Robot dream he proves it time and time again with brilliantly animated vignettes, which give viewers a small taste of what each character does. Dog tries his best to make a new friend as he waits for his best friend to be accessible to him again, but in the isolated world of New York City, connection becomes difficult. Robots, however, have a slightly simpler time, serving as helpful staples for the beach-going creatures in their off-season. Other times, Berger and Varon will let us their colleagues inside Robot’s programs, where he imagines wonderful situations where he and Dog are together again that will make you laugh until we are thrust back into a colder reality .
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Robot dream‘ The balance between the warmth of the world and its cold indifference is one of the film’s greatest strengths. While the film’s vision of New York in the 1980s may be filled with animals and not people, it is no different from the one we understand as our own. That’s one of the film’s clever tricks: showing how companionship is an interspecies phenomenon not unique to the human race. Love and connection extend beyond what the human mind can comprehend, and describe the animal instincts of dogs, ducks, cats, giraffes, raccoons and more.
Of course, Dogs eventually returns to the beach when it reopens. But the reunion doesn’t go as he or Robot had hoped, and his final act takes you on an intense ride – one that even the most hardened of viewers won’t be able to withstand. It is a melancholic denouement, but undoubtedly authentic. Sometimes, we turn and lose touch with people we love. It is a natural phenomenon that no one can avoid. But affection remains strong and racing comes back when you see that old friend again. Berger and Varon don’t make it that simple, but nothing about this film – which has such a handle on the human condition – is simple. Robot dream cradle your heart before breaking it, only to be taped back together again, slightly scarred but still functioning. Watch it with a friend who would handle mine with the same care.
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