With June on our doorstep (though one wouldn’t know it here judging from all the rain we’ve been having this month), Hollywood is busy dropping their summer blockbuster films at our cinemas. Once you’ve seen KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA though, what’s there left to see until DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE arrives in late July? That’s where the distributors of local and independent films come in. They bring us the movies that don’t get the same marketing hype that the major studios’ tentpole productions get but that’s not to say that these films are not worth your time. One film that should be on your Watch List is ROBOT DREAMS. The animated film received a well-deserved nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards last year.

Set in a world where anthropomorphic animals live and work, and in the time before Rudy Giuliani was known as “America’s Mayor” and started hawking coffee (oh my!), ROBOT DREAMS follows the life of Dog, a lonely canine that lives in a brownstone flat in New York City’s East Village. One night while channel surfing, Dog sees an ad for a robot companion. He calls the 1-800 number on the screen and a few days later his Amica 2000 robot arrives. Dog assembles Robot and the two head out to explore Manhattan together. Over the course of the summer, the pair becomes the best of friends but their good times come to an abrupt end when Dog and Robot go to the beach at Coney Island. After frolicking in the surf and then falling asleep on the sand, they wake up to find that everyone else has gone home, leaving them alone on the beach. The water has rusted Robot’s joints and he’s unable to move. Dog is forced to leave Robot there but he promises to return the next morning with some oil. Unfortunately, when Dog does return, he discovers that the beach is closed for the season. He can’t rescue Robot until next June. Lying in the sand for months, Robot dreams of his eventual reunion with his best friend while Dog tries to move on with his life.

The last time I sat through a film with a smile glued to my face was in 2016 with the film SING STREET. ROBOT DREAMS is a real charmer. It’s joyful, sad, uplifting, poignant, witty and tender, and the animation is absolutely beautiful. The story is taken from the 2007 graphic novel of the same name by Sarah Varon, and Spanish director by Pablo Berger (BLANCANIEVES) brings Varon’s tale of friendship to life, masterfully balancing the story’s inherent humour and pathos. It’s clear that Berger knows New York extremely well as the film is filled with city- and time-specific cultural references, from Sabrett’s and Nathan’s hot dogs to Tab and MTV. Indeed, the Clearances section on the closing credits scrolls for quite some time! The Twin Towers loom in the background in many scenes reminding viewers that this tale is set well before the tragic events of 9/11 when New York was a gritty city. ROBOT DREAMS has no dialogue, although the animals, as well as Robot, all make sounds that are appropriate for each of them. There’s a wonderful scene of a family of birds chirping “Danny Boy” to Robot – in four-part harmony no less – just before they fly off to new horizons. How can you not smile at that?

ROBOT DREAMS opens in Hong Kong on June 20^th with previews starting on June 1^st. It’s easy to go see the big summer blockbusters but this June, do yourself a favour and be a little bit venturous. Check out ROBOT DREAMS (and other small films like it). You will be pleasantly surprised.

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