Continuing on with our sci-fi reviews, this week we’re talking I Am Mother (2019), dir. Grant Sputore. Prepare yourselves for extinction events, a maternal robot, some weird ethics tests, and dilemmas of trust and good faith.
Lauren’s verdict:
The human race is near extinct, and a desolate wasteland of dry earth is all that remains after an environmental catastrophe. In a pristine, white bunker a high-tech android commences its directive to repopulate the planet by raising “the perfect human being” from embryo to adulthood. We watch as a young girl grows up, cared for by the dutiful and attentive android only known to us as “Mother” (voiced by Rose Byrne, performed by Luke Hawker).
As the girl, Daughter (Clara Rugaard), forms an effortless bond with her robotic caretaker we start to understand their world. Mother devotes her days to educating her daughter, ensuring she is responsible, physically healthy and ethically conscientious. But Daughter’s curiosity about the world outside the bunker is met with grave warnings of danger: the world is destroyed and nothing has survived. So when an injured woman (Hilary Swank) shows up at the bunker door claiming that the androids are the true enemy – Daughter is forced to question everything she’s ever known, and find out who she can really trust.
I Am Mother tries it’s best to explore the morality and ethics of mankind; to make us consider what truly makes a good person. As the destruction of the world looms outside their bunker door Mother draws Daughter’s attention to the choices humankind has made, reinforcing her commitment to raise Daughter to be better than the people that came before her.
A sci-fi movie about human morality isn’t exactly ground-breaking stuff, and I found myself a little confused about the premise. How can a girl, raised gently in a secure lab environment, truly model ethical responsibility?
Although I would have liked to see a more well-defined story arc with Daughter coming into her own strength, Rugaard’s character is still winningly naïve and earnest. Hilary Swank’s portrayal of a fierce and untrusting survivor is vividly realistic. Swank manages to convey animosity in one moment and anguish in the next, reminding me how strong she is even in the most minimal scenes. I Am Mother puts a great deal of love into it’s practical effects and CGI. The character of Mother being almost flawless in its complexity of design and movement.
While the film didn’t quite capture the philosophical complexities that I felt it meant to, it is a moving story of female resilience and survival, set alongside a cool-ass robot. And who the hell isn’t on board with that?
3 out of 5 detachable robot hands ✋🤖
Jeremy’s verdict:
I Am Mother really excels in two areas.
The acting is incredible. Rose Byrne’s voice is perfect as the human re-population facility’s matriarch, Mother. Filled with curiosity, care, and at times sternness and authority, she is both eerie and captivating. Luke Hawker’s physical acting in the Mother suit is flawless, and the effort Weta Workshop went to shows – it’s hard to believe it’s not CGI. Clara Rugaard’s Daughter feels like she truly grew up only knowing an isolating bunker. The moments where Daughter is given a challenge of trust feel very real. And last but not least, agreeing entirely with Lauren, Hilary Swank is a master of emotion. The cast steal the show.
The set design and direction on the film is beautiful. Sometimes sci-fi sets come across as cliched – soaked in neon lights and whirring buttons. Everything automated within an inch of its life. But I Am Mother strikes a balance between being both pleasant to look at, while also being believable for what a futuristic re-population bunker might look like. It’s particularly charming to know that in this version of the future, for Daughter’s birthday, Mother still chooses to bake a new cake recipe from scratch rather than it coming out of some futuristic mix-master-oven. I’m sure they’ve got a deleted baking montage somewhere with Mother wearing an ironic apron…
Unfortunately there are a couple of plot devices – impossible to discuss in a review without spoiling them – that unlock parts of the narrative in a way that is difficult to believe. And there are moments in the final act that lifelong sci-fi fans might see coming a mile away. Those moments raise more questions than they answer and while that could be deliberate, for me, they feel like a bit of a let down – pulling me out of the film and slightly dampening the capacity it has to drive home its message and the questions it would like to pose.
Does that mean you shouldn’t watch it? Hell no – if you’re a sci-fi fan, line it up. Sometimes all those minute mechanics and details really matter, and other times, the rest of the film holds up just well enough regardless. I Am Mother‘s cast, visuals, and direction push it along in what is an exciting, tense, and dramatic ride, and as we know, there’s a whole lot of sci-fi out there that doesn’t even get close to doing that.
3.75 out of 5 detachable robot hands ✋🤖
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