Film Challenge Week 26: A film multiple people have rated 5 stars
Film: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
Watched on: Kanopy
I'm not sure what I expected going into this film. The title intrigued me with all the discourse surrounding AI today, from lowering one's reliance on AI to using AI for content creation. I was curious to see how AI was viewed in the early 2000s, especially from the perspective of an auteur such as Steven Spielberg. This film was also rated 5 stars by multiple Letterboxd users that I follow and trust.
There is no easy way to summarize A.I. Artificial Intelligence because it takes viewers on an absolute journey. Just when I thought I knew where this was going, it would take a sharp turn, and I would be completely lost. It isn't formulaic in any way I'm familiar with, so I found that aspect refreshing as someone who finds most films predictable.
David is our protagonist, a robotic boy powered by AI who is programmed to fill the void of a lost child or lack thereof in a parent's life. He is the pilot robot adopted by a Cybertronics employee and his wife during a time when their son is in a coma. When their son makes a full recovery, David no longer has a place within the family. Instead of returning him to Cybertronics to be destroyed, the mom abandons him in the woods to fend for himself. As he has been imprinted to the mom, David makes it his life mission to find her again and regain her love.
From the beginning, there is a sense of dread that only becomes heavier as the film progresses. It's so easy to forget that David is a robot, played by Haley Joel Osment, who I believe is an extremely talented child actor for this role. All he wants in life is to be loved and cared for by his mom. During his journey to return to her, he encounters people who are anti-robot, and he is saved by a sex robot named Gigolo Joe, played by Jude Law. Joe teaches David about the realities of the world and helps him in his search for the Blue Fairy, a reference to Pinocchio, so that he can turn into a real boy and finally be accepted by his mom.
An analysis of this film by my partner that I didn't notice was the idea of faith. David is so laser-focused on finding the Blue Fairy to fulfill his desire for love that he would do anything to become a real boy. My partner thought that it was a critique of religion, portrayed as a frivolous chase for something that ultimately ends up fruitless.
I thought it was an exploration of grief, but I haven't sat with this long enough to come to a definitive analysis.
This is a cult favorite, so I'm sure there are many thought-provoking essays on this with a range of perspectives to explore. If you want a thinker, this is it, but also be warned that I found it to be extremely depressing. I would recommend watching this with a group of people so that you can talk about it immediately once the credits roll. I rated it 3.5 stars.
