ROBOT STORIES
Directed & Written by: Greg Pak.
Produced by: Kim Ima & Greg Pak.
Director of Photography: Peter Olsen.
Edited by: Stephanie Sterner.
Music by: Rick Knutsen.
Released by: Kino Video.
Country of Origin: USA. 85 min. Not Rated.
With: Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito, Wai Ching Ho, Greg Pak & Sab Shimono.
DVD Features: Commentaries by director Greg Pak; Pak & crew; Pak & cast. Delected scenes. “Mouse” (1997, 11 min.) by Greg Pak. Stills gallery. Trailer.

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
February 12, 2004

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
March 30, 2005