Robot Dreams

Winner! Best Film, Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2023

In this beautifully bittersweet, hand-drawn ode to friendship, a dog must find new meaning when misfortune separates him from his robot buddy. In an animated alternate-reality 1980s New York City, lonely but enterprising Dog decides to build himself a companion via mail order.   In no time, Dog and his new pal Robot become inseparable, strolling around Manhattan and rollerblading in Central Park to the tunes of Earth, Wind and Fire. But one day, an unforeseen incident sees Robot rusted and abandoned in the sand.  Will the pair find their way back to each other?  Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger’s visionary animated gem, lovingly adapted from Sara Varon’s award-winning graphic novel, uses a meticulous 2D style to capture the buzz and color of the Big Apple and its many animal inhabitants. With its charmingly deadpan comedy, no dialogue and a forthright acceptance of how life can change in a second, Robot Dreams offers a heartfelt musing on friendship, loss and the timelessness of love. (Dir. by Pablo Berger, 2023, Spain, in Spanish with English subtitles, 102 mins., Not Rated)

Other festivals: Cannes, Toronto, BFI London