On general release from Fri 08 Mar
Jake Schreier / USA / 2012 / 89 min
As funding cuts put competent care for the increasing elderly population under scrutiny, Jake Schreier’s jovial caper imagines a world in which technology has provided an answer. Forgetful grandfather Frank (Frank Langella) is given Robot, (Peter Sarsgaard) a sort of mechanical carer by his son Hunter (James Marsden). While Robot is proficient at cooking and cleaning it also proves a dab hand at Frank’s past career as a jewellery thief.
Schreier’s film is light-hearted with lots of humour, especially in the relationship between Langella’s roguish curmudgeon and his emotionally blank companion. Schreier balances this gaiety with evocative themes of aging and loneliness, emphasised by the remote location of Frank’s home. Frank’s failing memory versus Robot’s impeccable, video one reflects a wider consideration towards the many afflictions commonly affecting the elderly. Because technology becomes not just a tool for connecting people (futuristic widescreen video-calls) but has literally replaced them, the film appears pro technology. However, through Frank and daughter Madison’s initial reluctance towards Robot and the way the library’s closure is presented, Schreier creates a debate about technology’s increasing role in our culture. With all the external charms of a heart-warming, family drama Schreier’s comparison of old and new languishes in the wonders of technological advancement but also very firmly reminds us of the importance of those things society can sometimes leave behind.
Showing as part of the Glasgow Film Festival 2013
Follow Callum on Twitter @CWMadge