Believe it or not, one of the most painfully beautiful love and loss stories you will ever see this year, if not any other year, is about a dog and a robot with rust. Robot Dreams is a film based on Sara Varon’s delightful graphic novel from 2007 that was later interpreted by Pablo Berger in amazing two-dimensional animation for the big screen. Just like its source material, the film tells its story without using words but richly narrates emotions as well as portrays great incidents.
The first part shows us New York in early 1980s gloom where animals are everywhere: think Zootropolis without the Disney sheen. A lonely dog microwaves his evening meal and envies his coupled-up neighbors. He finds an advertisement titled ‘Amica 2000’ which he uses to order a new friend who turns out to be a loyal robot after assembling it together. The director then takes us through a series of clips similar to those seen in romcoms such as when Robot starts experiencing joy to Dog’s encouragement on venturing into life.
However, at Coney Island beach, the Robot becomes immobile due to rusting and ends up being too weighty for the Dog alone. When he comes back with some tools, the beach is closed for winter and no matter how hard he tries; he cannot reach Robot. Even though they had hoped for their reunion during their separation period that lasted long till now, both friends were also afraid of living alone again.
There are also some moments of despair and danger during these long months before summer comes when imagination goes wild too. Nonetheless, there are some soaring grace notes like the bowling scene with the funniest lines ever put into film or even better yet Busby Berkeley-style musical number in The Wizard Of Oz world. Despite his best intentions Dog fears being replaced by another while on the other hand waits for him at every call on his door.
This thoughtfully elegiac tone suits the childishly brash design. Despite looking simple this 2D animation is not simplistic, colorful without being gaudy and Berger makes sure his city is alive with interesting characters moving about two solitary yet mute protagonists. He pads out his film with such sweetly clever moments as when Dog takes off his swimming trunks demurely under a towel and then walks away in his nakedness or the wagging of its tail when it is really happy.
With each day that passes, there are slimmer chances for our heroes to reunite; however, the feeling of their lost love that was never sexual but rather platonic becomes overwhelmingly sentimental. It therefore serves as an intimate reminder of how fragile and how important our connections can be.
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