I'm Here

Retro robots in the future, same as here and now, but robots stomp about. A quiet, lonesome, librarian robot fixates on a sleeker fem-bot with some questionable robot friends, enters into a one-sided relationship, gives too much, the end. It's the kind of film that doesn't matter, it's slight, it's light, it's quite simple. But give it the half hour it asks, invest a bit of time and let it flow past you, and it's a sweet slice of everyday life. The ups and downs and all the angles of relationships. Filmed in a washed-out sunny California vibe, it's not a technical effort, but it does have an extended pop video feel. Subtle animation give life to the robots, and for all the lack of reality, the characters are believable, and sympathetic.

The latest short film from director Spike Jonze, I'm Here gives an interesting look at an alternative world, where robotic humanoids live and work alongside the regular population.

Sheldon, such a robot, lives a life of frugal urban mundanity, trapped in an existence devoid of particular discernible meaning. Working as a librarian, he goes about his daily routine, shy and timid, yet yearning for more in his simplistic, ritualistic and empty life. Seeing Francesca, a fembot, whilst waiting for a bus one day, he admires her spirit and liveliness. Befriending her gradually, the two slowly come to fall in love.

I'm Here rapidly and effectively establishes the life of Sheldon: vacuous, monotonous, and incomplete. The simple emptiness of his apartment combines with the austerity of his surroundings to paint an intimate portrait of isolation and loneliness in a world bigger than he; his eyes containing the key faint glimmer of hope of escape from this prison of perfunctory tasks. With staggering special effects, this world is brought perfectly to life, the robots' existence seeming entirely conceivable and their intermingling with society appearing completely normal. The limited facial expressions of the electrical characters often achieve a great deal more than their mammalian counterparts, demonstrating the wonder of the animation. Francesca gives the quintessential antithesis to Sheldon, showing us all he is not though the boldness and fun loving nature of her character. Their pairing is a wonderful one, the effect they have on each other seen immediately and splendidly, the individual characteristics of each impacting upon the other. Sheldon's development is the film's centrepiece, his evolution from the banal emptiness of his previous life to the fulfilling and stimulating one with his new friend accomplished masterfully. Without the advantage of physical intercourse, Jonze is restricted in his realisation of this relationship, yet manages in thirty minutes to give us what most directors can only hope to achieve in three times that. His story is both simple and engaging, moving and uplifting despite its lack of complication, showing us the transcendent power of love.

A miniature gem, I'm Here is involving, engaging, thrilling and uplifting. Jonze once again proves his cinematic brilliance, giving us a fantastic viewing experience, and one which promises to remain in mind for a long time.

Selfless sacrifice in the android community given the warm, soft focused, fuzzy treatment in a well realised near future world.

U can actually feel what kind of impact the separation from sofia Coppola had on spike from seeing this and her, such a tragic.

A shy, young man goes through his mundane life without companionship. Until he learns to dream.

Spike Jonze has made some bizarre-looking movies to say normal-sounding things. I'm Here is one such with a basic premise so basic, you wonder if the facade he uses is just a gimmick for drawing an audience. But his imagery takes you beyond petty suspicions and introduces some remarkable, relate-able characters. In fact, it almost makes you feel that that was the only way to make the film. It is a truly commendable quality of this short.

This is a wonderful effort and takes just 30 minutes to say effectively what many full-length features fail to in two hours. A must watch .