REVIEW: ‘Robot Dreams’ Captures A Distinctive Vision

Director Pablo Berger crafts an endlessly charming and deceptively melancholy feature with the animated Robot Dreams. The filmmaker, perhaps still best known for his extraordinary Snow White interpretation with the 2012 Blancanieves, marries fairytale whimsy with realistic, grounded humanity through the eyes of a dog and his friend, a robot. Based on the 2007 comic of the same name by Sara Varon, the film eschews easy platitudes or plot details for something more wholly distinct. The result is something remarkable, a little heartbreaking, yet life-affirming despite it.

It’s 1984 in New York City, and Dog lives alone. He watches through his apartment window as a neighboring couple enjoys their nights together over shared meals and laughter. In comparison, he looks sadly down at his microwaved meal. One night, he sees an advertisement for a robot companion and instantly orders one. Once Robot is assembled, the two become fast, inseparable friends throughout the summer.

The montage of their foray into companionship is where the brightest, liveliest moments of Robot Dreams exist. We witness a marked difference in Dog’s energy; he is no longer lethargic but eagerly faces life with Robot by his side. The two embark on daily adventures, from dancing in the park in a joy-inducing sequence to photo booths and many meals spent in the other’s company. Manhattan is their refuge, and they tackle each day with curiosity as Robot takes in the world anew with fresh eyes.

But their happiness ends after a day at the beach. Robot rusts and, unable to move him from the beach, Dog leaves only to return to the beach being closed up, surrounded by barbed wire, and unable to enter until the following summer. He vows to come back, but the journey in between is just as illuminating as each deals with loneliness, new potential friends, and what it means to grow with and without a particular comfortable companionship.

This is where the deep-rooted melancholy comes into play, especially regarding Robot. Up until now, Robot experiences a world of vibrancy. However, his months on the beach illuminate a darker area of the world. The beauty of the film is found in Dog and Robot’s friendship, yes. At least initially. However, the strongest aspect of the writing is how it details the reality of growing up, growing apart, and finding new ways to honor old friendships. We aren’t the same year to year, and our relationships echo this. But that doesn’t mean that a relationship from the past isn’t worthy of warmth and respect.

Robot Dreams finds itself mediating on this idea of what it means to grow with and without someone and how certain relationships embolden and hinder us. That it does so in this dialogue-free film is no easy feat, yet so much is said through the small details. These details come in the form of the humorous gags of Dog taking off his collar at night or changing out of his swim trunks behind a towel, only to step out from it with nothing on once again. But also, we see it in Robot taking in another robot who is being tirelessly poked and prodded by a child. Robot might wear an easy smile, but not all of its kind do.

The animation adopts a timeless quality, aided by the film’s 1980s setting. Berger, art director Jose Luis Ágreda, and storyboard artist Maca Gil create an expressionistic take on the city and the many dreams that Robot experiences throughout the film. With clean lines and an easy, soothing color palette, a sense of magical realism is baked into the film’s foundation. The effect is towering despite the delicacy of the story and the understated emotional leanings because it allows the animation to soar and the visuals to embody this world fully. We don’t question the logic and let it embrace us.

Robot Dreams excels due to its ability to marry magical realism with a grounded emotional core. The story of Dog and Robot is impossibly poignant as we yearn for the two to reunite, their happiness infectious. While it drags a bit in the second act, the film powers through, becoming a formidable tale about the power of companionship and the unmovable force that is the passage of time.

Robot Dreams is out now in select theaters nationwide.