Robot Stories
Four stories of humans connecting through robots.
Greg Pak wrote and directed Robot Stories, a 2003 American independent anthology film blending sci-fi, comedy, and drama. Its four tales follow humans struggling to connect amid robot infants and android coworkers.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Greg Pak
- Producer
- Karin Chien; Kim Ima
- Starring
- Tamlyn Tomita
- James Saito
- Wai Ching Ho
- Greg Pak
- Sab Shimono
- Music
- Rick Knutsen
- Cinematography
- Peter Olsen
- Editing
- Stephanie Sterner
- Distributor
- Pak Film
- Released
- 20 January 2003, Slamdance
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The film is divided into four short stories. In one story, a young Marcia hides in a closet from her parents' fighting. Her mother tells her to never fall in love, get married, or have children. Twenty-five years later, Marcia and her husband Ray seek to adopt a child. They take a robotic baby on a trial before adopting a human child. Marcia struggles alone with the crying robot and brings it to her father, a handyman, to tamper with its electronics. Her father worries the clinic will detect the alteration. Marcia persists, and the reprogrammed robot baby goes berserk and attacks her. Marcia finds the robot in the closet, remembers her own childhood, and hugs it, finding closure.
Themes
The characters in Robot Stories undergo ideological developments they accept in some form. In Robot Baby, Marcia forgives herself by accepting the robot baby as a child she can care for; her revelation that she is becoming what she feared leads to her discovery of her true identity. In The Robot Fixer, Bernice lacked a strong connection with her son due to contrasting ideologies, leading her to rediscover who he is as he nears death. Machine Love gives Archie a way to connect when others reject him because of his robot race; finding another robot lets him communicate without rejection. Clay allows John to decide the meaning of life when consciousness can be permanently stored, as he finds eternal consciousness not worth living for.
Reception
The film received largely positive reviews, with a 74% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 43 reviews and an average rating of 6.6 out of 10. Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe wrote that technology in Robot Stories finds ways to make living and loving better. The San Francisco Chronicle said the focus never strays from the human heart. TV Guide awarded three and a half out of four, noting the stories offer a poignant perspective on being human. The Christian Science Monitor called the last story the most touching but all skillfully made. Variety praised Greg Pak's direction, saying he avoids blatant O'Henry twists and pulls off neat reversals. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times called Pak a talent with a future.
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