09/04/24

Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh

After the blistering onslaught of Monkey Man, I find myself hankering after something a little more sedate and I’ve heard promising things about Robot Dreams, even if cinematic showings are proving elusive. So I’m delighted to discover that there’s an afternoon screening at The Cameo at a time when I’m available to see it. Written and directed by Pablo Berger, based on the graphic novel by Sara Varon, this wordless animation, set in New York some time in the 1980s, is the very epitome of charm – yet its deceptively simple premise also manages to make room for some perceptive observations about the nature of relationships.

Dog lives in an apartment in the heart of the city and tries to keep himself occupied by playing the latest video game – Pong – and cooking up nightly feasts of microwave meals for one. But he is increasingly aware that he has nobody to share his life with. When he sees a TV advert for a robot companion, he eagerly sends off for one and it arrives as a flatpack all ready to be assembled. Dog is quite handy with a tool kit and soon puts Robot together. It isn’t long before the two of them are out on the town, visiting a series of beautifully-rendered locations and learning how to function as a duo.

It all goes swimmingly until, ironically, they visit the beach together and Robot learns to his cost that a metal body and sea water do not make a winning team. Rusted into immobility, he’s unable to do anything to help himself and Dog doesn’t have the strength to move him from his place on the sand, so he heads off to look for help. But it’s the last day of the season and, when he returns, the beach is all locked up and off limits until June…

It’s hard to convey how utterly charming this film is and how its various twists and turns have the power to exert a grip on my emotions. As I watch, I find myself thinking back to situations in my own past, times when things have moved beyond my control. I love its inventiveness: the constant attention to detail; the fact that pretty much every frame holds a tiny item that references something else. The dreams of the title refer to a series of visions that Robot has while he lies in the sand waiting for rescue, but Dog has them too – and unlike most animated movies, Robot Dreams has the courage to resist offering us the usual glib resolution.

The rumours are correct: this is a delightful cinematic experience which absolutely deserves its recent Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. And you’ll believe that dogs and robots can roller skate to the music of Earth, Wind and Fire.

4.8 stars

Philip Caveney