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LoveMe-Still1.jpg

Sundance Review: A Buoy and Satellite Fall in Love in the Divisive 'Love Me'

By Sara Clements | Film | January 30, 2024 |

By Sara Clements | Film | January 30, 2024 |


LoveMe-Still1.jpg

Love Me, a sci-fi romance film about a buoy and a satellite, is one of the most divisive titles from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Comparisons to WALL-E are obvious, but despite humanity’s extinction, Love Me is more about humans than anything else. The buoy and satellite learn to communicate online, discovering things about themselves and what it means to live and love. Although the presentation is not always successful, the transformative story through technology and identity is a compelling and resonant tale, making it a bold first feature from directors Sam and Andy Zuchero. Anchored by captivating, emotional performances by Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, it’s certainly one of the most unique love stories ever brought to the screen.

In a striking opening scene, Earth is shown as a silent and frozen planet devoid of human life. A buoy (voiced by Stewart) springs to life as a satellite (voiced by Yeun) passes by and greets her with the words “Welcome to Earth”. This adult version of the movie WALL-E portrays the story of two lonely machines, probably the last ones on the planet, who crave for companionship. They are the only entities that resemble life forms, almost alive and breathing. The question that arises is, who were humans? Seeking an answer to this question, the buoy starts browsing the internet and eventually assumes the identity of Déja (played by Stewart), who was once social media famous along with her fiancé Liam (played by Yeun). By mimicking Déja’s voice and online persona, the buoy finds a way to communicate with the satellite through the internet, creating an almost human-like connection.

As they explore humanity through social media, they begin to ponder about their own identity and purpose. This leads the buoy to adopt the name “Me” and the satellite to be known as “Iam”. Together, they embark on an existential journey to understand the mysteries of life, asking questions like “What is life?” and “Who are we supposed to be?”. They try to make sense of the human world by recreating Déja and Liam’s YouTube videos, hoping to attain sentience. However, their attempts to convince themselves of being something they are not eventually lead them into a deep, dark hole of identity crisis. In a world that often feels fake, they find it hard to find their true selves. Love Me is a journey to find what’s genuine and true, which is love.

The film can be divided into three parts. In the first part, Stewart and Yeun voice the buoy and satellite (that have been constructed practically for the film). As they start using the internet, their forms take the shape of Sims-like avatars. Later, the couple manages to reach human form but realizes that being human is more challenging than it seems. Real human experiences are more valuable than what is seen in a simulated world that merely appears real. Starting as a machine, animation, and then human, Stewart and Yeun go through a wide range of human emotions, including frustration, anger, and fear. As the last two beings in the universe, they fall in love, which is overwhelming for them. They experience what it’s like to lose touch with who we genuinely are when we are blinded by expectations and face the dichotomy of perception versus reality.

Love Me is a film that lacks coherence in its style. It tries to do too much by bringing in too many ideas, which leads to an overflow of concepts. Despite this, the movie is emotionally resonant and holds our attention with its charm and excellent acting performances. While the pacing may feel slow and repetitive, the film delivers its message effectively. It is a unique romance story that takes an AI’s perspective, exploring how we function and learn about love, as well as how machines learn to be alive and in love. This reminds us to look inward and ignore the external noise to shape our identity.