‘I’m Your Man’ is an unconventional portrait of a woman who empirically lives with a humanoid robot and finds the answer to what makes someone human is not as black-and-white as she once thought.
As the world evolves, technology continues to become further ingrained in every aspect of our lives. From the everyday of using a touchscreen cash register to the more advanced instruments used for microsurgery, these tools improve speed, convenience and accuracy. However, the integration into our personal lives has progressed slower for many, keeping it at arm’s length for various reasons. Yet, countless people have turned to online dating websites and algorithms to find their perfect match, but for some finding the one seems like an endless journey of energy consumption and heartbreak. That’s where I’m Your Man fills the gap.
In the not-too-distant future, Alma (Maren Eggert) is a scientist on the verge of a major breakthrough. However, to secure more funding and play nice with her employers, she agrees to a three-week assessment of the latest in robotics and A.I. technology — an android companion programmed to be the perfect mate. She meets Tom (Dan Stevens) in a uniquely normal date setting before he moves in, eager to fulfill her every need and desire. However, Alma is not a lovelorn single and his presence is more of an inconvenience and intrusion than an answer to her prayers. She also has difficulty treating him like a person rather than an android, even though he is visually flawless. But, as Tom is programmed to adapt, he learns to embrace her disdain in the hopes that he will eventually endear himself to her.
This is the epitome of the 21st (22nd?) century love story. The idea of finding one’s match in an artificial lifeform is not unusual, with Her being one of the greatest human-computer romances in recent memory, but this narrative is slightly different because its protagonist is not looking for love. She was in a long-term relationship previously, so it’s not that she’s incapable of finding a partner. But she has difficulty accepting that anyone could replace the love of a human being with the affections of a robot, no matter how real they act and appear. Tom, on the other hand, is fully self-aware — not always the case in these types of stories — and understands his artificialness is an obstacle for Alma.
Their interactions are generally very amusing as Tom often responds to Alma’s sarcasm or disparagement with blunt honesty and exactitude. In addition to providing humour to otherwise unpleasant conversations, it’s one of the few regular reminders that Tom is in fact an A.I. and although he can have hurt feelings, he can mend them just as quickly. The rapport between Eggert and Stevens (who surprises with his fluency in German) is excellent as they’re able to play these opposing but complementary personalities very well. Thus, audiences have to earn their coming together with the knowledge that even if it happens, it may be temporary due to the nature of their arrangement.
Director: Maria Schrader
Starring: Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens and Sandra Hüller
