i'm your man

In Writer / Director Maria Schrader's (Unorthodox) beguiling I'm Your Man, an archeologist, Dr. Alma Felser (Maren Eggert), faces an unusual conundrum: for a three week trial run, she's been given the "man of her dreams" (Dan Stevens as Tom)--literally one that fits all her desires, including the lingering wistfulness of her youth. The trouble with Tom is that he isn't a real person, but a humanoid robot, foisted upon her by "Employee" (the always good Sandra Hüller, refreshingly against type here). The fiercely intelligent Alma is very resistant, her large, searching brown eyes are so human and in such a contrast to Tom's glazed-over blue-eyed gaze. While working on a rigorous research project involving cuneiform, she is also dealing with her father's dementia (Wolfgang Hübsch) and recent losses, including the separation of her and her ex-partner (Hans Löw). All of these painful moments feel extremely private, wounds that Alma carries, without much help from anyone else, except for some support from her sister (Annika Meier). 

Schrader's portrait is a web of tangled emotions and ethical dilemmas. As Tom navigates his life among humans, he discovers they laugh at other people's pain (a couple in a coffee shop looking at viral videos of human mishaps) and the film, too, exposes different ways humans can hurt one another both physically and emotionally. The cold, sterile, white, gray and black emotionless architecture and designs of modern, urban Germany is an effective dissimilarity with the ancient tablets of Alma's studies and her homey, messy flat of stacked books (Tom immediately tidies everything up to which he realizes, after her reaction, that he's to put it immediately back to the way it was). In Alma's struggle, she is always looking back and forward, with deep uneasiness about Tom and the nature of the experiment itself. 

The interactions between Tom and Alma spark across the gamut of feelings. Stevens, in another shapeshifting (so-to-speak) performance, does sturdy work with this complicated robot--one that expresses emotion in a not-quite-real way, and speaks German to boot. Eggert's Alma teeters between valleys of disdain, discomfort, anger, and desire in a mostly quietly stern, buttoned-up demeanor, her speech halting, shivery and staccato in conjunction with Tom's legato, precise, flat phrasing. 

Recently I re-watched Writer Ira Levin, Screenwriter William Goldman and Director Bryan Forbes' 1975 The Stepford Wives and found it utterly mesmerizing. On a simple level, there is much shared with The Stepford Wives and the concept of I'm Your Man, though Schrader's film has a brighter tone and look, even as it navigates its queasy sci-fi credos. The flip of a woman with a male robot is a compelling one--as we've seen many more movies like Stepford Wives where males are bonded with female robots or other robot companions in general. One can think too of the horrifying 1977 movie Demon Seed, where Julie Christie's character is raped and impregnated by an AI named Proteus. There's a gentleness in I'm Your Man, and Stevens' portrayal, that doesn't dig into the same level of direness and macabre as those other pictures. And yet, that gentle aura, the waving of Alma's hand through hologram humans, almost makes it seem like it's all too possible--and perhaps not that bad?--which is an eerie, discomforting feeling for both Alma herself and the viewer. ***

-Jeffery Berg

to stepford we go by karen g.

We’ve all had that moment – fleeting or no – where we decided we’ve had it with life in the big, bad city and that the only thing to make ALL our problems go away, is a fresh start in a quaint little town, somewhere not too far away.

Director Bryan Forbes’ 1975 cult classic, The Stepford Wives, brings Ira Levin’s novel to life in this extremely unconventional horror movie.  At first you’re not even sure why it’s billed as a horror movie, but stay for the ride, the eerie journey soon makes you realize why this movie works so well.
When Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) and her husband move away from the grit and crime of the city, she soon finds that she is bored to death by the picturesque conformity of Stepford.  She finds a kindred spirit in Bobbie Markowe (Paula Prentiss) and soon starts to bear life in the quiet, little town.  They also befriend another newcomer, Charmaine, who is also settling into her new life.

At first, Stepford is exactly as it seems, provincial and safe.  There is however, “The Stepford Men’s Association” where no are women allowed.  Also, the women of Stepford are only interested in cleaning products, cooking, and looking perfect for their husbands.  Joanna is baffled as to why her husband insists on spending time at the Men’s Association, especially with the stodgy president of the club, a computer and electronics expert who used to work at Disneyland.

When Charmaine – a self-proclaimed lover of tennis, has her tennis court bulldozed and, confesses that she has been selfish in wanting to devote her time to tennis when there is so much housework and cooking to do – Bobbie realizes that something is very wrong in the town of Stepford.

This is not your standard horror by any means and some may find the pacing of the film excessively slow, however, it serves a dramatic purpose.  Bobbie’s slow realizations about the people of Stepford allow us to immerse ourselves into her persona, as it might be with us when we discover and realize new things.  The social satire of the movie and the idea that the perfect wife needs to wear heels, bake cookies and wait for her husband to return from the office works remarkably well in 1975 America when the Women’s Liberation Movement was in full swing.

There might be a long wait but the twist ending and effectively creepy final scene is worth the wait.  The entire movie is bathed in sunshine and vibrant colors while veiling the strangely dark subject matter within.  Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss offer remarkably entertaining performances which move the film even during the slower moments.

This one is definitely worth a rewatch (or a first watch) especially for us city dwellers who believe the grass is greener on the other side.  With a little reprogramming, who knows, maybe it is.

-Karen G.