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Love Me (2024): Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun Engage in Robotic Romance

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Love Me” is a feature-length directorial debut from Sam and Andy Zuchero and stars Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Spencer) and Steven Yeun (Minari, The Walking Dead) in a film where a buoy and a satellite form a relationship following the end of humanity.

“Love Me” is the last new release I saw in January, and if you have been keeping track, I have been lamenting this month as it was unfolding. Thankfully, the month so far has been a tad better than I expected. And by that I mean, still bad for movies, but not outright horrible. That said, the annual monthly dumpster fire for film is not over yet, we still have to determine whether “Love Me” will join the rejects of January, or the one shining light known as “The Colors Within.” That film honestly made me forget about the problems of the world for a little bit.

Thankfully, “Love Me” is worth seeing, and it is quite a thinker. This is a film that I liked while watching it, and continue to appreciate more after the car ride home.

Like many other films, “Love Me” is its comparisons. While “Love Me” is not entirely animated, I cannot help but compare this film at times to “Wall-E” and “The Wild Robot.” This film, like those, is set in the future, and primarily centers around artificially intelligent characters. It also highlights humanity’s resistance to maintaining the earth. Although unlike those films, our focus on human characters is never seen in the present, it is always in the past.

The film centers around two robots, a buoy sitting in the middle of earth’s waters, and a satellite up in space looking down on the planet. The two meet, with the buoy seeming to continuously maintain a sense of curiosity. The robot is asking questions about anything that comes to mind. She learns about life, humanity, the Internet, and it results in a very creative relationship, if you can call it that, between the two core characters.

The film stars Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun. That said, if you are looking forward to seeing them physically, you may not see as much of their actual selves as you would expect.

That said, their physical selves do have a good amount of screentime, but they are not there from the beginning. They show up later on and serve the robots’ stories. Both of them do a good job in the film as this lovey dovey couple who have a vlog. The couple also serves as a foundation for the buoy’s desires to be human. The buoy gets an impression on what it is like to live as a human just by watching these two engage in certain activities. We see the buoy in a sense trying to simulate those activities through digital animation. The animation clearly does not look high-tech. It is not up to the level of Pixar if you want a cinematic example. If anything, it looks like it is out of a “Sims” game. That seems to be the artistic intention, but still.

Despite the seemingly intentional schlocky animation, I will not deny that the film is pleasing to the eye. The color palette is often dazzling, especially during the scenes where we see the buoy floating in the water. The film is often bright, well lit, and there are also several shots involving the sun that look particularly great.

The film very much highlights the joys of being human, while also recognizing that maybe we are not perfect. Sticking with the human characters, who we come to know as Deja and Liam, I notice that never once do they leave their home, nor do their simulated counterparts. It seems to highlight the shift humanity is experiencing right now with shopping, watching media, and the shrinkage of social lives. We seem to be getting more sheltered and less adventurous. We find out the couple’s “date night” vlog is literally just them staying home, cooking, and watching television. It is not to say that staying home cannot be considered a date night. But I am under the impression the film is suggesting that in the future, we will see a significant increase in date nights at home.

Going back to “Wall-E,” one thing that the film tries to convince its audience is that two robots can fall in love. In a way, “Love Me” seems to be the anti-”Wall-E.” Because it is very much about a flawed relationship. It shows the struggles two robots have with such a concept. Likely because they are not programmed to love in the way that it would come naturally to a human. They are programmed to do other things. If that’s the case, you almost have to suspend your disbelief when watching this film. That said, this story also falls in line with the idea of artificial intelligence’s continued evolution to the point where it could one day become more human than human. We see the film’s protagonist, who we come to know as Me, establish itself as a “lifeform,” even though we know the character was manufactured.

If I had to list any negatives during the movie, I would say that the story does take a bit of time to get into gear. I think if I had to name a weakest part of the film, it would be the first ten minutes or so. The film also kind of reminds me a bit of “Ron’s Gone Wrong” because the robot voices happen to be very repetitive. This is especially noticeable with the satellite. When the satellite, who we come to know as Iam, literally pronounced “I am,” says a certain word or phrase, it often sounds exactly the same as it does previously. Much like the movie’s digital animations that turned me off, this appears to be an artistic intention. It perhaps highlights how computerized the bot’s voice sounds, but it still got on my nerves a little bit.

Despite these negatives, I still recommend the movie. There is not a lot that has come out in January that I think you should rush out in see, but “Love Me” is definitely worth your time.

© thelove.me

In the end, “Love Me” is a movie with a small cast, but a big impact. Not only is this a movie that I can see myself watching again, but there is a possibility that I will appreciate it to a greater degree the more times I watch it. It is a film that highlights what it means to be human, while also recognizing the issues we as a species are dealing with, and potentially creating. I have not heard a ton of word of mouth on this movie, so hopefully I can spread some for those checking this post out. I highly recommend “Love Me” and I am going to give it a 7/10.

“Love Me” is now playing in theaters. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for “One of Them Days!” Stay tuned! But before we get to that, Scene Before is on the cusp of 800 posts, and I intend to celebrate with yet another look at my Blu-ray collection. I have been waiting to do this post for a long time. I am glad I am finally getting around to it once again. If you want to see these posts and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Love Me?” What did you think about it? Or, given the theme of romance and with Valentine’s Day coming up, is there a movie that you plan to watch on Valentine’s Day this year? For me, every other year, I’ve been watching “Deadpool.” On top of coming out around the holiday, it is a solid love story with superb action scenes. Leave your comments down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

The Persian Version (2023): Two Generations of Stories Come Together in a Uniquely Structured Dramedy

Posted on by Jack Drees

“The Persian Version” is directed by Maryam Keshavarz (Viper Club, Circumstance) and stars Layla Mohammadi (Special Ops: Lioness, The Sex Lives of College Girls), Niousha Noor (Kaleidoscope, Here and Now), Bijan Daneshmand (Infidel, The Night Manager), Bella Warda, and Tom Byrne (The Crown, Road Dance). This film is about a young Iranian-American woman who is at odds with her family, most notably her mother. The two have their key differences. But when a secret is revealed, the young woman realizes that she and her mother may have more in common than then they once thought.

“The Persian Version” is a film that I am not surprised a lot of people are keeping out of the conversation. It is not playing in too many places, and it came out the same weekend as “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” By the way, I have no plans to watch that film for those who ask. But I was very intrigued by “The Persian Version.” I was sold with the marketing. The movie looked, bright, cheery, vibrant, and seemed to make the most of whatever budget it had. It did not look terribly expensive, but it looked polished for a film of its caliber. Turns out, that is just half the battle, because little did I realize what I would be in for.

“The Persian Version” is a quirky, fun, good old fashioned time that occasionally inserts moments of seriousness every once in a while. Is this a good thing? Sort of. There are multiple storylines at hand, all of which deliver some sense of engagement to varying degrees. Like a lot of other movies, there are parts of “The Persian Version” that are better than others. But in the case of “The Persian Version,” even when the movie transitions in an uneven, and nearly cluttered manner, I still find myself invested in much of what is going on.

I found the storytelling and the way it was executed to be particularly creative. It is non-linear, there is an occasional song and dance aspect. There are notable tonal shifts. There is a balance between comedy and drama. But when it comes to those last two things, it is kind of like a see-saw. It has its highs and lows. I found the comedy in particular to be funny, charming, and for the most part, it works. I found the drama to bring the film to a more down to earth feel that gives a sense of perspective for the characters at hand. This does not result in the best movie of the year. Far from it. But it does result in a film I do not regret seeing and one I think that if it is playing near you, would not make for a bad choice. It comes with plenty to enjoy even with its quirks, whether they work or not.

This film starts out in a lighthearted manner. But it sort of does a back and forth transition between genres where at one moment, it is serious. It is dramatic. Then eventually, it reverts back to being something of a comedy. If you have seen my last review, “Freelance,” you would know that meshing genres does not lead to the best results. But in this movie’s favor, it manages to utilize comedy in a way that is humorous. And it also blends in drama to the point where it manages to compel me. But it does not mean the film is without its imperfections. If anything, I think as fascinating as the events within these genre blends are, there is a noticeable sense of inconsistency between them. Because while comedy and drama can work when combined together, the shift from one genre to another feels nearly seismic at times. It does not really allow much room to breathe and the movie almost spends too much time focusing on one genre to the point where it almost has no identity. It is kind of a mish mash, and too extreme of one at that.

The best way I can describe “The Persian Version” is that it is two movies in one package. Both movies are really good, but they almost do not fit together. The story presents itself in two tonal opposites. In comic book movie speak, it’s like combining “Deadpool” with “V for Vendetta.” Both movies work perfectly on their own, and maybe if you put both together, they could lead to an interesting result. But combining both projects only lessens their value in a case like this.

Although given time to marinate, the movie presents two different tones that ultimately fit their respective narratives by the end. And the more I ponder, it gives me a good idea as to how this film’s main duo tends to see the world. In the back of Leila’s mind, she will do anything to embrace the fun and spontaneity of life. She will do anything to have a good time. She will do anything to keep herself happy. Meanwhile we see another story with her mother as the center where I am getting the sense that having fun may not be the top priority, and fun would only get in the way of what she thinks is important. But it is also shepherded by what these two have on their plate at their respective times of their lives.

The other thing I really appreciated about the movie is that it kind of gave me perspective as someone who is of similar age to Leila, who serves as the film’s protagonist. It reminded me that nobody is perfect. I often think about my parents growing up and realize that maybe they have made choices in life that they either regret or maybe their parents did not always agree with, but maybe they stood by them regardless of the outcome. That is not to suggest those choices are a bad thing, because in the end, they ultimately make us who we are. What matters is how we conduct our lives moving forward for ourselves, in addition to the people around us. In the end, even if our choices end up being mistakes, life finds a way to make us happy.

To top off all of what I just said, “The Persian Version” has a marvelous ensemble that is led beautifully by a mother-daughter duo played by Niousha Noor and Layla Mohammadi respectively. Both individuals are perfectly cast and play off each other very well. The family itself offers plenty of moments to enjoy. I thought Leila’s grandmother, Mamanjoon, was a highlight of the film. She also had my favorite line of the film that comes into play a couple times. It got a good laugh out of me. When it comes to slice of life-style films, “The Persian Version” gets plenty of things right, but it is not without its flaws. But would I watch it again? Perhaps so. It is by far one of the most unique movies of the year and if you are looking for something beyond the traditions of filmmaking, this is a decent option.

In the end, “The Persian Version” showcases the beauty of life, all the while highlighting problems that its core woman characters have to face at certain times of their lives. No matter how big or small. The movie is kind of like life itself. It has its fun moments. It has its downer moments. But by the end, everything tends to come full circle. I think this is a creative, one of a kind feature that despite not getting a lot of attention at the box office for the past number of weeks, certainly had mine. I am going to give “The Persian Version” a 7/10.

“The Persian Version” is now playing in select theaters. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! If you enjoyed this review, good news! I have more coming! My next review is going to be for “Priscilla!” I got the chance to watch this film at the beginning of the month. It has been on my mind for quite a bit. I cannot wait to talk about it. Also coming soon, I have reviews coming for “The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes” and “The Marvels.” Stay tuned! If you want to see this and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “The Persian Version?” What did you think about it? Or, what is your favorite mother-daughter relationship in film? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!