Robot Dreams is A Bittersweet Love Letter to New York Long Gone
Text by Monika Hankova
Robot Dreams, a lovely animated feature film about a special bond between Robot and Dog, is a very personal tale by the acclaimed Spanish director Pablo Berger, widely known for his silent black-and-white drama Blancanieves (2012). Nominated for 2024 Academy Awards, Robot Dreams is a sensitive, beautiful story reaching deep, elaborating on topics such as loneliness, friendship, memory, longing and loss. Based on a 2007 graphic novel by Sara Varon, the movie was released in the US theaters at the end of May.
Besides the central theme which is the story of a unique relationship and the subsequent loss of it, the movie literally transports one to New York street life exactly 40 years ago. Unlike the city left unspecified in Varon’s book, New York City is another character in this truly moving film. Set in 1984, the year when Vesuvio’s pizzeria opened on Second Avenue and dance music became a culture, we witness Robot and Dog enjoying everything this unparalleled city has to offer. Vesuvio’s appears in the movie, so do many other iconic Manhattan fixtures. Yuko Harami, Bergers’s wife and an associate producer, served as a location scout. New Yorkers definitely recognize views from 23rd Street. There’s a glimpse of the Strand bookstore and many East Village locations, and, of course, the Twin Towers are standing above it all. Chupa-Chups lollipops, subway tokens, Keith Haring’s murals and roller skating in Central Park are vividly bringing back the ‘80s New York. Dance music, namely disco, plays a big role, as well. The main motif is the famous song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, first released in 1978, which becomes Robot’s and Dog’s cherished song filled with pure joy and later with nostalgia.
The narrative of this dialogue-free movie focuses on a tragic separation of the seemingly inseparable duo. The fatal moment happens on Coney Island after a beautiful summer day on the beach where Robot and Dog were having the best of times. This day happened to be the very last day the beach was opened, and, sadly, the very last day they had spent together. Robot, unable to move, stays laying rusty in the sand, and Dog who is desperately trying to help him, doesn’t succeed. The story then develops to an unexpected and not-so-happy end.
The director Pablo Berger, who had spent ten years in New York at the beginning of his filmmaking career, said in a recent interview for Awards Radar what led him to tell this profound New York story about the fragile nature of relationships. He asserts: “During the last eight years, my best friend stopped being my best friend, I lost my mother, I thought of another relationship that has passed…Suddenly the theme of loss and memories, and especially the fragility of relationships interested me. That’s a universal theme.” Berger wanted his audience to feel the story and its authenticity, and he succeeded brilliantly. The movie indeed has this capacity to captivate one fully and wholeheartedly while presenting the universal truths.
The 2-D animation, simple, yet powerful brings to life plausible, strong animal characters, be it a little Bird mother with her three baby birds born right next to Robot lying abandoned on the beach, which is a very tender moment, or Duck, an independent female motor biker that Dog befriends. The team of animation designers created more than one thousand different New York City dwellers as diverse as New Yorkers are. The anthropomorphized animals are referred to as animals, they don’t have names, thus for example the Dog’s neighbors are simply “Chicken and Cat”, etc. There are many subtle, delicate moments and funny details to these animals of all shapes and sizes that make the movie even more enjoyable.
Colorful sequences of Robot’s lucid dreams about getting back to Dog are striking: Robot is walking through the field of giant, swinging daisies, approaching an imaginable, paradise-like New York City, or he spends the afternoon at the bowling alley with a happy-go-lucky snowman and other distinct characters. These scenes are precious as they sensitively express Robot’s deep longing for Dog, showing the conflict between reality and dream.
Robot Dreams is an urban fairy tale about the complexity of love, friendship, and about the inevitable, constant change. People are changing, so do cities, yet we have to cherish our memories and know that those gone will stay in our hearts forever. Robot Dreams is a charming story, delightful and touching, a little, unforgettable gem that will be enjoyed and appreciated by children and adults alike. And, for long-term New Yorkers it is a must-see.