Coming to the cinema: My Robot Friend, the most incredible and exciting friendship story later this year

Recommended from 6 years

once – A dog lives in Manhattan and loneliness weighs on him. One day, he decides to build a robot and they become best friends! One summer night, the dog is forced to leave the robot on the beach with great sadness. Will they see each other again one day?

which they will fall in love with – No more dialogues. Because My Robot Friend is a film without words, which makes it more universal and vivid. A cross between Zootopia and The Iron Giant, with hints of The Wizard of Oz, it’s delivered entirely in pictures (and a bit of music). And it will be very difficult, for adults and children, not to succumb to the ugliness of this story of friendship. At the end of 2023, both the most incredible and the most disturbing.

Far deeper than its vibrant colors might suggest, my robot friend is instantly seductive. And the expressiveness of its two characters, along with some effective gags, allows you to get fully into the story, then move on.

Things can scare them – In the synopsis it is written: “One summer night, the dog is forced to abandon the robot on the beach with great sadness.” And here’s the drama. Because this story takes an unexpected, more exciting turn where it’s no longer about forming a friendship… but moving on when the relationship ends.

And my robot friend turns into a story of mourning, all the nuances of which children will not immediately understand. But what will allow the film to look back over the years, with elements that will speak more about him through his life experiences (both positive and negative), his ups and downs. There is no doubt that this section will be more relevant to adults who will be able to use it to explain to young people how to overcome this type of breakdown. Both friendly and loving.

Other subtleties that may not speak of them: cinematic references (including Woody Allen’s Manhattan) and a New York sound (pre-9/11, to be exact) that will resonate with those who knew him. But there’s no age to appreciate a catchy soundtrack.

which they will hold deeply – The feeling of attending the handsome palm branch of 2023. An award that unfortunately won’t be given out at the Cannes Film Festival, where My Robot Friend was presented at a special screening last May, or it wouldn’t be there. competition. But his immense sweetness threatens to easily grab them to make him laugh before moving on. And it doesn’t matter if they don’t understand all the details: if they liked the first viewing, they’ll come back without a problem.

Of course, it’s still too early to tell if My Robot Friend will become a classic. But its warm colors and its versatility would allow it to reach this status, and there is a good test: if the long final sequence (which has everything to talk about with La La Land’s Damien Chazelle) will make the children who discover it (and you). Also), it is that the bet paid off and this story of friendship has everything to stay with them.