Robot Stories

Beautifully shot and very moving.

I found all four stories very strong and riveting. Great performances throughout in particular Sab Shimono's portrayal of the old man. Each chapter left us with a bittersweet moved and inspired kind of feeling.

Don't go looking for regular science fiction here. This is a good art film. The robots don't kill anyone, for the most part do their utmost to fit in. They are metaphors and mirrors that Greg Pak uses to reflect back into our very souls.

I remembered this film after seeing two more science fiction films recently, NIGHTINGALE IN A MUSIC BOX and PRIMER. All three are extremely low budget meditations on the relationship between technology and human identity. This one is the hardest to comment on, because it's a collection of short stories that differ somewhat in quality; but on the whole, ROBOT STORIES deserves its place with the other two as part of a real renaissance in American independent "science fiction" film-making.

I put science fiction in quotes, because these films are more more about the human soul and if there can even be such a thing in this brave new world we live in, than they are about the actual new forms technology might take, though PRIMER is probably the best on little science details, if you like that.

To anyone reading this comment, I'd suggest you try to see all three. They represent an exciting movement in American independent movies.

first off, this is low budget and the filming debut of this director (or so it seems). Judge it as that... of course it's not perfect, as the people behind it are still finding out which of their ideas work on screen and which don't. This film then, for the most part works, and if you think it over afterwards it works even better.

You gotta admire the vision and care that went into each of the 4 stories that each touch on a different side of the same subject: how humans relate to machines and then relate back to real life. The story about the comatose boy his mother and his action figures was especially touching, as was the one about the older man that just wants to die, both beautiful roles by the mother and the sculptor. It seems the director is at best when making a 'small' story, he does it with a tenderness and visual power rarely seen. This leaves the actors plenty of room to present their characters in subtle ways and not having to carry the weight of the story by overacting.

The acting from the predominantly Asian cast is very good, and it's nice to see asians in a non-stereotypical role in American film. The imagery shows the low budget, but the locations are well chosen and it's well directed. The only weak point is when it gets exciting the director has trouble picking up the pace and really conveying the sense of fear and adrenaline the characters must feel. These moments are very sporadic (just one in the first story..my least favorite anyway).

This is a movie to watch, if you have an open mind and can relate to the people on screen. If you're looking for more traditional sci-fi themes.. look further. Calling this movie sci-fi just because it deals with robots is missing the point. This is more geared towards drama. And it's good.. especially for a filming debut. Definitely a director to watch for in the future. A man with vision, ideas and original stories to tell.

Great ideas for making us think about our times are the triumph of this picture. Made of four short stories, it offers us projections, realities, and premonitions. Each story ends up being very significant of some spectres of the man / machine interdependence. Slowly paced, shot on video, it looks like it's not very exciting, but still has a lot to take from it, with some patience. The two initial stories, the first about a couple that have to adopt a furby-like machine to prove that they are able to adopt a real baby, the second about a mother who starts completing his comatose son's toy robot collection, are the weakest. The two final stories (one about an android who develops human feelings and the other about a man dying in a world where you no longer die, but instead you're uploaded), are the strongest, even if at a minimal level. So, the real achievements of "Robot Stories" are discrete, and very minimal. But it still pays off.

26 August 2005. This sometimes cute, sometimes somber movie using robot-themed short stories addresses important matters of motherhood, love, and death. While not penetrating to the depths of our soul, each of the four stories offers the audience an emotional jolt of sympathy and reflection on the meaning of love and dying and moving on if necessary. The first story using a robotic adoption test baby offers a dark-humor approach to the connection between a mother and her baby, the path taken and the past carried on from mother to daughter. The second story focuses on death, the meaning of life while alive, and the ability to move on and leaving one's past for some future life. The third story provides an indirect humorous parody of love among robots and the anthropomorphic possibilities of mechanical electronics and our human awareness of such alternative experiences. The last and perhaps most troubling is one man's forced decision of either having his past life encapsulated into electronic eternity or letting his physical reality disappear forever. Each of these stories has some small, if not deeply moving universal answers, it probes the outer boundaries of matters that each of us at some time has or must face. A relevant peak into some of the most critical values and concepts facing us as human beings using of all things, something most inhuman - robots. Seven out of Ten Stars. Seven out of Ten Stars.