Robot Dreams: Review
To Chrome with Love
A story about a dog and his robot companion seems more fit for a children’s Saturday cartoon than a full-length film. But in the moving Robot Dreams, director Pablo Berger uses this initial concept to explore some surprisingly adult themes. What if, in a world where animals roamed New York City, a dog buys a robot friend to cure his loneliness? The results are gently funny and genuinely profound.
Based on the graphic novel from Sara Varon, the story is fairly simple. It’s also, apart from a few grunts and gasps, completely silent, using expressions and grunts to convey a wealth of emotion. In 1980s New York, we follow the lonely Dog (voiced in gasps and yelps by Ivan Labanda), who purchases a robot friend after seeing an ad on TV. So begins an epic love story in the Big Apple, soundtracked by Earth, Wind and Fire’s hit song September. But when a technical fault leaves Robot stuck on a beach, Dog is forced to adjust to life without his new partner.
While Dog experiences the pains of modern dating, Robot poignantly dreams of his freedom, and takes in a family of songbirds. That’s not even the most random scene in the film. Like Zootopia, Varon’s animal-filled world is full of funny hidden details and interludes. An Octopus in the subway delivers a spontaneous drum solo, two menacing ant-eaters challenge Dog to a sled race down the slopes, and a warthog hilariously washes a car. The bold choice to make the film silent is one that pays off massively, with Alfonso de Vilallonga’s affecting score filling in the blanks.
As well as being entertaining and well-animated, the film plunges unexpected emotional depths. The story of Dog and Robot’s relationship aches with sadness, and you’ll root for them to somehow make it work. It feels like an animated version of La La Land, exploring what it means to discover new rhythms and versions of yourself in a new partner. Not bad for a film about a dog and a robot.
A sweet and imaginative film that is way more touching than a cartoon about a dog and a robot has any right to be.
★★★★
