ASuiGeneris

For once, I am not inclined to be polarized in one direction or the other in my opinion on this film. I agree with the side that thinks this is disrespectful pretentious trash, but I also agree with the ones that absolutely loved this film. Call me cowardly, but I give it a reserved 6/10, which is admittedly much more love than hate, but that is given with a disclaimer that I'm being more forgiving than I should be; perceiving this as more a "fantasy" of an idealized teenage angst experience with mental health issues rather than the raw, pain, far less redeemable reality that anyone with serious mental health issues could tell you. It comes with some powerful messages and performances, and that deserves some credit. And honestly, any conscientious effort by any filmmaker to explore mental health issues is still something to be appreciated and awarded in my book.

It was funny. Excellent example of a satire. But, at the end of the day, we can't exactly call this quality.

The ensemble cast was an obvious sell. Micucci is always fun, as well as Plaza. Molly Shannon and Alison Brie, Offerman, Reilly, Franco, and Armisen round out the cast. Each of these actors and actresses are funny in their own right, so putting them together can't be anything but some good!

This one's going to be polarizing. And both sides are right. Yes, it's an incoherent mess and blasphemy and glorifies rape.

Yet.

Most of the time when there is so much random chaos and silliness, it doesn't work. Sometimes, it somehow does. It might require some extreme poetic faith and not taking anything seriously. But do that, and you'll see the humor.

Ah, a hidden gem? This definitely seems like the type of film that could have a cult following. I will say that this was indeed a unique little film. The mime guy did his duty as a vessel for change, along with that somewhat aggravating shrill music box tune that accompanied each of his performances. Audiences should note, there is a hidden scene that rolls after the credits- and it is actually a few minutes long- so make sure to look out for that!

It is actually a tad difficult to even describe what this is really about. The filmmakers either did not know what they were trying to express, wanting to express too many things at once, or purposely made it cryptic so it could be more "quirky". On the surface, it is positing the question of robots and instilling a little fear that they could very well take over the world without us knowing. It mentions more than once that the word "robot" originates from the Czech word "robota," meaning "forced labor" or "servitude". This word was introduced by Czech playwright Karel Capek in a 1920 play.

It is not an entire silent, but it does minimize dialogue. Curiously, the only characters who are allowed to talk are two men who are AI consultants, seemingly out to warn the world about robots. Most spoken dialogue can be attributed to one telling the other what they will "miss" once robots takeover the world.

The other main characters we get to meet are a woman who is being bullied in her apartment and also seems to be mourning the loss of her son, a police constable who awkwardly flirts with the girl upstairs in forensics (this is all done through text messages typed out as if in real time on screen, they never actually talk out loud), and a likewise clunky courting that takes place between an office worker and his female colleague. The stories all loosely connect, as they take time out of their day to go into the parking lot to watch this street performer in his mime performances.

Unfortunately, these stories are all loose threads that are never tied together and left largely unexplained. Every time what send to be a plot behind to emerge, the audience is steered in another direction, never to return. One example is that the street performer leaves behind a backpack with a note sewn into the lining that the constable and aforementioned forensics girl do testing on. This letter is revealed to be a secret message that says, "Please help me. I made this bag. I work on a factory. I am not allowed to leave the factory until I have finished the orders... start before dawn and sometimes they don't pay me... the work is always too much. We are always tired. Sometimes people faint. We can't even sleep from the pain. If you are reading this, I want you to know what people can do to other people." Yet. This police officer sees the mime again, never mentions the bag or the note again. There is a guy who is seen several times that rolls two dice. This is never explained. There is a faulty smoke alarm beeping every time we enter the mourning mother's apartment. This is likewise never explained. A random guy who plays the violin in the park and runs away from the officer when he arrives. This is treated as perfectly understandable. Even the only two talking guys never go anywhere. We see them in a few random scenes that interact with the other characters, they watch the street performer, and then they host what looks like a seminar on robots, but that's it. Nothing is really developed. No characters, no plots. It's almost a surreal foray into a mood piece, which leaves audiences unfulfilled and likely frustrated.

That being said, it was unique, does pose some interesting questions regarding human connection and robots, and somehow manages to be a feel-good film. It might take some poetic faith, but if you are a viewer that doesn't mind vagueness and an inexplicable hash of sketches, this might be the refreshing independent film you were looking for!