While Hayao Miyazaki deservedly took home the Oscar this year for The Boy and the Heron, another nominee in the category is well worth your attention. Pablo Berger’s Cannes favorite Robot Dreams, which had an awards-qualifying run way back in December solidifying it as a 2023 film, will finally properly open next month from NEON. Ahead of the release, a new trailer has arrived.
Here’s the simple synopsis: “Dog lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of 80’s NYC. One summer night, DOG, with great sadness, is forced to abandon ROBOT at the beach.”
John Fink said in his review, “By far one of the most delightful films of the year––even when it breaks your heart––Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams is a deceptively simple take on companionship that uses robots and animals to tell a very human story about friendship and life. Adapted from Sara Varon’s 2007 graphic novel of the same name, Berger’s lively film respects the form, telling its story without dialogue and instead relying on music and sound effects to drive the story of Dog and Robot forth. Dog spends his life in a sterile East Village apartment, circa the 1980s––eating microwaved meals, playing pong, drinking Tab, and yearning for companionship in the shadow of his YOLO poster. Flipping around the channels, Dog stumbles across an ad for a companion robot and spends the next few days assembling his new friend.”
Robot Dreams opens on May 31.
The post Robot Dreams Trailer: An Unlikely Friendship Forms in Pablo Berger’s Oscar-Nominated Animation first appeared on The Film Stage.
