**Please note that this is a German-language film with subtitles in English**
No spoilers.
Dan Stevens is a British actor best known for appearing in Downtown Abbey and the action film ‘The Guest’. When I heard that he was co-starring in a German film, and speaking in German, I was intrigued enough to watch it when it was shown on TV recently.
Although set in the near-future, this is not a science fiction film in the true sense. It is more about what it means to be human, and whether or not you can have feelings for an android.
When robots have become the norm, a company in Berlin goes one step further, producing perfect androids that can also be partners in relationships and real companions. They can learn what pleases you and what doesn’t, help around the house, and they are always attracted to you.
Alma is a German anthropologist (played by Maren Eggert) who agrees to test one for the company, and write a report on it. She isn’t too happy about having to take on the project, but is bribed with a trip to America to see some ancient relics.
She is introduced to Tom (Dan Stevens) at a nightclub populated by androids and the company’s customers, which is made to appear busy and crowded by the use of convincing holograms. Tom has been created to her specific wish list, and despite some rather old-fashioned courtship style, he soon sets about romancing her. But Tom develops a fault, and Alma agrees to wait until he is reprogrammed.
Meanwhile, she is trying to deal with an elderly father suffering from dementia, and juggling time between him and her job.
She takes Tom home to her apartment a few days later, and quickly becomes uncomfortable having him around. She has recently broken up with her former lover, and is not ready to consider any kind of relationship, let alone one with an android.
Over the course of the next few days as they get used to each other, the film starts to explore some interesting questions about the future of humanity, and the use of robotic companions or lovers. Can you love a machine? Is a relationship with a machine less fulfilling than one with a person? It also hints at the development of AI, as Tom literally ‘learns on the job’ to seem more human, and to adjust his personality to suit Alma.
I really enjoyed this film. Dan Stevens is pitch-perfect as an android. Always just on the edge of being human, but never quite making it. The German actors were mostly unknown to me, but all were well-cast and convincing. Some of the scenes are very moving, others very funny.
The near-future representation of Berlin is achieved by using some modern buildings and filming on streets and in areas that often seem deserted. Yet Alma drives an old car, and the clothes are familiar. No dates are mentioned, but it is not that far off.
This is a film that surprised me by being so good. That’s why it was submitted for consideration for the best film in a foreign language Oscar.
(UK readers can probably find this film on the All4 catch-up service, free of charge)
beetleypete 