The rise of artificial intelligence is slowly taking place. Many of us are growing worried about what the future might look like if we embrace such technology more significantly. When you think about it, this evolving tech is very frightening because it may render everything devoid of life, as shown in paintings, pictures, visual effects, and films. Everything will change, for better or worse—only time will tell, although it aims more for the latter. Some filmmakers have recently been crafting projects centered around A.I. that cover their frustrations and preoccupations. One of the most intriguing projects premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival—a festival known as a sanctuary for experimental independent pictures to be given time in the spotlight—tackles such a subject in an exciting way: Andrew and Sam Zuchero’s feature-length debut, “Love Me” (playing in the U.S. Dramatic Competition).
The film begins with some dashes of melancholy as humanity has completely vanished from the face of the Earth. The future in this world is icy, literally and figuratively. But through the A.I. centered characters, we begin to see some sparks of life emerging from the darkness. A buoy (voiced by Kristen Stewart) is trying to find a companion in that lonely, vacuous space. However, one day, it looks into the sky, seeing a candidate for companionship: a satellite (voiced by Steven Yeun) tasked to tell every lifeform it crosses paths with about what happened to the planet and its inhabitants. These first few minutes are unintentionally hilarious (and not in a good way). But there’s a somewhat charming factor that emerges from this introduction.
Even though their connection is initially fractured, the two begin to forge a bond that can be deemed human. Through their exploration of the vast world that is the Internet, which is now a ghostly realm that holds the remnants of our society’s history, they begin to feel the vivacity of humanity. But how long is that going to last? Will this “love” they are feeling now withstand the test of time? Better yet, do they even know what real love actually is? Through plenty of “date nights” involving ice-cream, quesadillas, and Blue Apron recipes, they experience something that many of us have gone through: the hardships of modern-day dating. We see our problems and issues replicated by A.I. personifications—two technological “beings” building a life together based on their research.
The Ambitious Visual Aesthetics of ‘Love Me’
This project sounds like a determined, zealous movie with many intertwining layers, constantly reworking itself to adopt many personalities. Andrew and Sam Zuchero decided to be their most creative selves in their first picture to leave an impression on us watching. They implement many art styles and visual aesthetics—as animation combines with live-action while still getting a hold of the film’s sci-fi premise. Through those artistic choices and inspirations, the Zuchero duo indulged in conversations about myriad topics, ranging from the “idealized” straight romance to social media’s effect on our lives. All of this sounds fascinating and creatively hard to pull off due to the many genres and techniques these directors try to pull off.
Doing so in their feature-length debut? Now, that’s pretty brave for them to do so. How “Love Me” is constructed is a challenge for both the filmmakers and the talented cast—with Stewart and Yeun being actors whose best work comes from daring, distinctive directors—attached to this project. They need to have an excellent grasp of what the project entails—both theoretically and structure-wise—to work out properly. It demands a lot from them. The people involved need to find various means of captivating the audience without making the project feel like a mess. After they manage to execute a big swing, the Zucheros immediately go on to the next one.
This sway in their creative process does annoy the viewer to some degree. It seems they want to do all that for no particular reason. They want to stand out from the other projects being produced year-round. And for that, I applaud it. The team behind this film wants to do their best to separate “Love Me” from the movies it might remind you of. (For example, one of its first scenes takes inspiration from Pixar’s highly acclaimed picture, “WALL-E,” another film about a lonesome robot who finds a connection with another machine after many years of solitude.) This isn’t the most assertive project of the year or anything of the sort. It isn’t even the most challenging at the festival. However, you are never bored by these changes in the film’s visual language.
A Screenplay in a State of ‘Wanting Abandon’
The viewer embraces these narrative maneuvers instead, although not to their total capacity. You often think these transversal combinations function more like individual gimmicks than storytelling devices. It never reaches a state where one would think of them as comical. But sometimes, they tether the thin line between aspiration and ridicule. Nevertheless, the Zucheros deserve props for trying to combine all these things and creating a somewhat fascinating story. Whether or not you are entirely on board with what they are trying to do throughout “Love Me,” there has to be some admiration for their search for creativity. The issue is that this seems to function separately from the narrative.
You can find most of the film’s many faults in the screenplay and thematic exploration. This is where the Zucheros lack depth and ambition—the project falls completely flat on its face. From the get-go, the film wants to do way too many things over the course of ninety minutes, both stylistic and narrative-wise. Because of this, I felt that the film was constantly “wanting abandon.” The filmmakers running the show have one part of the project adequately visualized. But when it comes to the narrative side of things, they approach them with the fainéant route.
Because of this, “Love Me” comes way too short of actually delivering a thought-provoking or existential notion. We get unavailing conclusions with its characters, as well as dated points about social media (and its succubus-like feeling that’s rapidly poisoning the world), modern-day romance, and people’s self-worth. Every note that the directing duo wants to open up about seems so distanced from our current life that one can’t relate to this story, outside of the hypothetical story’s development. Yet that isn’t all. None of it rings true because of childish lines, specifically those that emerge from the digital world talking point.
The stars attached, Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, aren’t particularly bad in their respective roles. They both try to get to the story’s heart and deliver each line with plenty of passion. Sometimes it reaches an overbearing degree, particularly in their respective breakdowns. However, the lines are so trepid that they can’t make the screenplay work. If these talents can’t help cover the faults, it has reached a point of no return. It is a shame that such an interesting premise finds itself within a creaky, bland screenplay without substance. At the very least, you might remember The Zucheros’ “Love Me” because of its artistic ambitiousness and integrity.
“Love Me” screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition as part of the Sundance Film Festival 2024.
