I am Mother: Plato's Cave with a Twist

I am Mother is an okay film, and really, that's the essence of it. Easily watchable, understandable, and short, it's not a standout film, but it does have some glaring issues that drag it down and help make it an unoffensive yet easily forgettable film.

Mother, doing what she believes she was born to do.

The story is loosely similar to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, with some differences. On the whole I'd say for what they ran with it's a decent story, but it could have been better with some changes. The film explores the breakdown of trust between a teenage girl and the robot, named Mother, who has raised her since birth. The cause of this fracturing is the arrival of a woman from the outside, who is living evidence that Mother's assessment that there are no living people alive outside of her bunker is either inaccurate or dishonest. Mother was supposedly built to be, well, a mother, but once this break of trust occurs (which initially seems to be just a result of misunderstanding), she(?) rapidly turns pretty sinister in her conduct and methods. Eventually her "child" makes it to the outside world, and it offers a neat reversal of the classic story, for in this case the world outside is far worse, and not even as genuine as the one inside the bunker. It sounds good on paper, but the execution irritated me, and it wasn't until a cartoonish twist that I was more or less forced to dislike Mother, who I had a lot of sympathy for throughout most of the film. The story might have been better if it instead detailed the upbringing of a child under the care of this robot, which the little we saw of it seemed like there was a good deal that could be elaborated on. Really, the more you think about the story, the less sense it makes and the more questions it raises. Also, can we discard or try to do something more with robots and their possible sentience besides the same three (Robots bad, obedient and unquestioning servants, and robots rise up!) story themes/character types of robots in film and popular culture. In my opinion it reflects poorly on us that if popular culture has any sway, the first thing we would do with sentient robots would be to either destroy or enslave them. Jesus, there's a lot that could be done with them, especially in more creative ways than what we currently see.

Mother isn't omniscient, she too goes on a journey of discovery, or more of transforming the girl into an adult. There was potential for a family drama story here, but we don't see it here.

There are two standout performances in this film, from both the teenage girl and the titular Mother, with both creating very believable characters. The voice acting for Mother is some of the best I've heard for a robot in a long time, making a clean and detached performance that at times sounds almost human. The supposedly programmed maternal instincts/conduct really shine through her voice. The girl really sells her growing internal conflict between her home and the desire to go to the outside very well, and reacted to the increasingly troubling revelations in a very realistic fashion.

Technically, I am Mother is notable in its sets, design, lighting, and cgi. The design of the bunker has a strange felling which I think is well in keeping with the story itself. It feels homey most of the time, but there's this feeling of fraudulence about it, which I at first thought was simply because the girl was the only person living there. The outside world is beautifully bleak, filled with ruins and industry both new and rusting. There's a shot that feels like it's from years after the events of Logan, where the agricultural machinery has once again jumped in effectiveness and scale. In both the inside and outside the lighting is natural and while there's nothing crazy, the amount of darkness and light actually make sense for the location and action of the scene. The cgi, especially of the robots is nothing short of jaw-dropping. On top of being incredibly detailed and very practical (Mother has pads on half of her body which heat up to keep babies warm), there's an amazing feeling of weight and power behind their movements. When Mother is sprinting, though her Boston Dynamic-looking run is mildly amusing, I can't deny that it looks like she could easily barrel you out of the way or crush you if she wanted.

The combat model of Mother, referred to as 'Dozers', occasionally a big stick is required

So there you have it, I am Mother is a film that I somewhat liked, but one that didn't leave much of an impression or lasting mark on me. I will likely forget about it by the time I wake up tomorrow, and if that isn't a comment on whether or not you need to watch the film, I don't know what is. Watch if you like robots or Boston Dynamics, you can safely skip this otherwise. If you want to play something that has a robot that isn't a yes-man or homicidal menace, I'd recommend playing Event[0] in all honesty.