Spike Jonze, of Where the Wild Things Are fame, created and directed a short film titled I'm Here and I am very glad that it is here.
It took two views to fully grasp everything and write a coherent review. Note: the previous entry where I could only articulate blind excitement. The second viewing allowed me to see the I'm Here world a little clearer and it was way, way worth it.
Jonze creates an alternative universe where robots and humans coexist with some tension. Robots are treated like second class citizens who are forced to work menial jobs and cannot drive cars. The basic premise of I'm Here is a fun deviation from the boy meets girl formula. Instead, there is robot boy meets robot girl. The robot boy, Sheldon, is a mild mannered robot who falls for the rebellious Francesca.
They begin their poignant relationship when Fancesca and her friends have Sheldon come out with them to have a good time. And so their love affair begins. They sleep together the robot way, sharing an electrical cable. Francesca tells Sheldon about her ability to dream, something that is considered impossible for robots.
However, their touching and intimate relationship is impeded when Francesca starts to literally fall apart. Her various robotic body parts become detached and Sheldon finds himself replacing them with his own parts. It's a very touching take on a relationship and the sacrifices that come with it. These sacrifices that transcend race, religion, orientation, age, and even humanity. One particularly moving scene is when Sheldon convinces Francesca to take his leg. He tells her that he had a dream. His dream involved Francesca singling out his leg as the only leg she wanted. He tells her that it was "the best dream in the history of dreams."
It's all incredibly sweet and beautiful and soon becomes almost tragic. In the entire 30 minutes you will run the gamut of emotions. You will be initially bemused by the rather unusual concept and in the end you will be curled up in tears as Sheldon and Francesca's fates are sealed.
The soundtrack is also worth checking out. The clear standout is up and coming ASKA and her two contributions: "There are Many of Us" and "Y.O.U." Her album is due out in February 2011.
I am not very well versed in technical aspect of film making, but I want to comment on the lighting. I don't know any correct terminology that could describe it. I will just say that it is SO SO PRETTY. My eyes were so absorbed with the gorgeous shots that it actually took three viewings to properly form this review. I had to watch and review at the same time to piece together everything I felt.
Kudos, Spike Jonze.
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