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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
ROBOT STORIES
Despite the title,
which suggests cheap science fiction, robots in this film are not the object
of
attention. They are rather foils to the humans who interact with them, and by
contrasting
the human characters with machine counterparts, director Greg Pak portrays the
imperfect
yet truthful aspects of human nature. The film is constructed of four simple,
independent and moving stories. In “My Robot Baby,”
an overachieving career woman wife displays her tantrums as she is tested for
her
maternal potential when adopting an egg-like computer baby. “Robot Fixer”
features
a mother desperately trying to fix her comatose son’s robot toys, in hope that
he
will miraculously recover. The comical setting of “Robot Love” is about an
android
“iPerson” hired as a temp in a large corporate office. Finale “Clay” questions
the
meaning of life through the emotional struggles of an old sculptor nearing the
end of his days.
A parable for the complex
world we live in today, each segment is fast paced with little, yet
sufficient, character development.
Pak focuses on the ordinary emotions commonly seen in human
life and displays them exquisitely in his world of co-existing robots, flaws
and all. The film’s low budget is evident but not at all bothersome. After
all, an all-star cast and glitzy special effects are unnecessary when telling
thought-provoking, well-crafted tales. Hazuki Aikawa, journalist, director of the documentary Yancha
DVD Extras: The definite standouts are
the alternate endings to three of Greg Pak’s four shorts in the deleted
scenes selection. The conclusion to "My Robot Baby" is especially
haunting. Pak amplifies the eerie note that underlined the original
version and gives it a tragic ending. His 11-minute short "Mouse"
is equally unsettling, depicting a young man simultaneously obsessing over a roaming mouse in
his apartment and his girlfriend’s possible pregnancy. In the
commentaries, Pak is honest and humble - he doesn’t hesitate from
pointing out the little glitches he made along the way and from
appreciating the "miracles" that occurred on set. No doubt the crew’s
voices will resonate with struggling yet hopeful film students
everywhere. Marie Iida
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