I Am Mother (netflix scifi)

Slydice · 08-06-2019 6:03pm #1

Gave this a watch.

I guess they could end it there but it feels like there's more to that story. I can't see anything about a sequel anywhere though.

The sci fi is done pretty cool here. The droid kinda reminds me of a not-so-banjaxed Chappie.

The story feels more focused on being a think-about-it than action but it does have a decent amount of special effects and action/world building.

Trailer:

It does feel like a sequel is needed though.. she's never gonna be able to look after more than 60,000 kids by herself. PLUS! It also doesn't necessarily kill off Swank. Like there's so much story there that could be explored.

Oh and I guess.. just in case ye're a lad (or woman/otherwise.. i guess

) who's not into films where women do a lot of stuff... the cast and time-given-to-cast here is mostly women.

Igotadose · 08-06-2019 6:08pm

Hrm. All evil computers named Mother? LIke, the one in the original Alien?

pixelburp · 08-06-2019 6:09pm

I dunno, I've been burned enough times by the phrase "Netflix Original SciFi film" to perhaps start to back off from these

couldn't be any worse than Extinction though so might take a look.

So is there going to be an After Hours thread full of dreary whingers why there isn't a film called "I am Father?"

Agent Coulson · 08-06-2019 6:43pm

I am a Genderfluid parent.

Skerries · 08-06-2019 7:15pm

Igotadose wrote: »

Hrm. All evil computers named Mother? LIke, the one in the original Alien?

MUTHR wasn't evil it was just programmed that way to ensure the recovery of alien life
It was the same for HAL, he was programmed that way and didn't just suddenly turn psycho

corkie · 08-06-2019 8:32pm

I am Mother Ending, Plot, Droids: Explained | Will There be a Sequel?

^^^ Contains spoilers or what the film is about for people to lazy to watch?

evilcloud · 08-06-2019 9:43pm

I thought this was great. Proper slow burn sci-fi that explored some interesting ideas.

If your looking for action this is not for you. But the story is engaging and the performances are great.

Also thought the mother robot looked excellent. Some really great practical effects

Icyseanfitz · 08-06-2019 11:25pm

Really loved this, a real thinker of a movie. Hopefully they make a sequel.

cdgalwegian · 09-06-2019 3:29pm

corkie wrote: »

I am Mother Ending, Plot, Droids: Explained | Will There be a Sequel?

^^^ Contains spoilers or what the film is about for people to lazy to watch?

No spoiler review.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/07/i-am-mother-review-all-female-netflix-thriller-is-a-solid-sci-fi-watch

I'd actually give it 4 stars, not 3.

Sad Professor · 09-06-2019 3:59pm

It's no Ex Machina but it's good. One of the better entries in the sub-genre of sci-fi films about young women being held captive. Certainly better than Netflix's last attempt at this, Tau, though I liked that one more than most.

Fysh · 09-06-2019 10:04pm

As far as film-based Netflix Original science fiction goes, I'd say this is the best so far - a decent premise and script, good central performances, and a focus on ideas and dramatic tension rather than plot.

I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't get any infodumps or segues into extended CGI Shooty Nonsense sequences, because while the core premise isn't startlingly original, it's executed well and it was a pleasure to see it not opt for lazy action sequences in the 3rd act.

While there's plenty left unexplained in the film, I'm fine with leaving it where it is and hope they don't make a sequel.

evilcloud · 09-06-2019 11:26pm

I really don't see a sequel to this happening. The scope of the story just wouldnt sustain one IMO.

It's a fine debut feature by the director and I'm interested to see what he does next

cdgalwegian · 10-06-2019 5:03pm

Sad Professor wrote: »

It's no Ex Machina but it's good. One of the better entries in the sub-genre of sci-fi films about young women being held captive. Certainly better than Netflix's last attempt at this, Tau, though I liked that one more than most.

I love sci-fi, and Philosophy of Mind, but I thought Ex Machina was a tad over-rated. I am Mother was less overtly philosophical (except in its focus on ethics), but had more moving parts (is there a pun there?), which it dealt with admirably. I preferred it to Ex Machina.

expectationlost · 11-06-2019 12:09am

bluh wtf

if the AI/Mother decided to allow Daughter raise the kid what was the need to shoot her? waste a perfectly good helper robot. The Woman lying about there being others is hardly a reason to leave her out there Daughter will be pissed when she finds out.

PhiloCypher · 11-06-2019 12:51am

expectationlost wrote: »

bluh wtf
if the AI/Mother decided to allow Daughter raise the kid what was the need to shoot her? waste a perfectly good helper robot. The Woman lying about there being others is hardly a reason to leave her out there Daughter will be pissed when she finds out.

Mother needed her to step up, to take that next step. Her killing Mother, Symbolic as it was(that being one of presumably millions of shells she inhabits), was necessary for that to happen.

cdgalwegian · 11-06-2019 10:45am

PhiloCypher wrote: »

Mother needed her to step up, to take that next step. Her killing Mother, Symbolic as it was(that being one of presumably millions of shells she inhabits), was necessary for that to happen.

I think so too. Ethics is central to the film. The daughter had spent her life being taught the various principles- and finally, she had to make an ethical choice, and take an action. It seemed unnecessary watching it at the time, but on reflection

MOTHER had planned this all along. Hence the last STRANGER scene, where she was no longer necessary/surplus to requirements

expectationlost · 11-06-2019 8:00pm

cdgalwegian wrote: »

I think so too. Ethics is central to the film. The daughter had spent her life being taught the various principles- and finally, she had to make an ethical choice, and take an action. It seemed unnecessary watching it at the time, but on reflection
MOTHER had planned this all along. Hence the last STRANGER scene, where she was no longer necessary/surplus to requirements

ethics is

shooting your mother

?

cdgalwegian · 11-06-2019 8:20pm

expectationlost wrote: »

ethics is
shooting your mother
?

Wellllll...... not just that, I'm pretty sure. If you look it up, I'm pretty sure it falls within the big Venn diagram of ethics. I said the film was mainly about ethics, not just that (initially confusing) single act.

TerrorFirmer · 13-06-2019 8:23pm

Really, really good film.

Am I correct in understanding that....

Hilary Swank was also a child of the facility, but 'failed' her test by fleeing, but unknown to us initially she was allowed to remain alive by Mother as she would later serve a purpose for future children.

Swank aludes to this when she says something about it being OK to be selfish and solely looking out for yourself sometimes to Daughter in the shipping container.

Daughter ultimately returns for the good of her family and her newly born brother and so passes the ultimate test; mother then goes and kills Hilary Swank as she was no longer needed.

Daughter killing Mother was purely symbolic of this new stage of her earned role as the new 'mother' of the future of the human race.

Also hardly a coincidence that Swank looked like a very credible older version of Daughter, and we knew several female embryo's were created from all the missing capsules in that particular rack

Slydice · 13-06-2019 9:38pm

Well it started with Mother

taking out number 1
Then by the time we see daughter, well we find out she is number 3

We then see the remains of number 2 in the incinerator

So I'd be inclined to agree that

it looks like Swank is number 1.

I think I threw it on myself a bit when I

did the maths on the X days later bit at the start. I'm pretty sure it worked out around 40 years and daughter was obviously not 40 years old

TerrorFirmer · 13-06-2019 11:18pm

Yeah that's a good point. I was thinking the exact same thing as well at the time.

expectationlost · 14-06-2019 1:04am

can we go full spoilers

designing a robot that has to recharge for 12 hours a day that supposed to look after somebody and make sure they don't get out unless the open the outer door which they have then run towards how about create a father robot?

cdgalwegian · 14-06-2019 6:10am

expectationlost wrote: »

can we go full spoilers
designing a robot that has to recharge for 12 hours a day that supposed to look after somebody and make sure they don't get out unless the open the outer door which they have then run towards how about create a father robot?

Howzabout replaceable batteries? Camera feeds/sensors that can wake Mother up at the first sign of trouble?

IOWs, rather than this being a plot flaw

The downtime for recharging as a weakness was planned; to exploit the inevitable features of human nature; creativity, blah, blah. Maybe embryo 2 (?) when it grew up didn't take the opportunity- so was weak- and was destroyed. Clever- and amoral- robot.

expectationlost · 14-06-2019 11:44am

so the anwser to every plot query is, they did that on purpose?

joe40 · 14-06-2019 11:47am

I made the mistake of watching the trailer for this and feel they gave away far too much of the story. I will watch it, but fecking modern trailers can be a disaster.

expectationlost · 14-06-2019 3:47pm

Adam Savage spoke to the guy who designed the suit and played the part of Mother

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_XwRFD5Lqs

cdgalwegian · 14-06-2019 4:33pm

expectationlost wrote: »

so the anwser to every plot query is,
they did that on purpose?

Actually, you're bang on. That's super-duper algorithms for you.

Will it possible in the future for a computer to predict human behaviour perfectly- much better than in the present, with say, chess or GO- and to plan for every eventuality (while adjusting for errors through termination of iterations)?

Who knows? That's why it's called science fiction- possibly just for the moment.

Such a conceit is a perfect means to reify rationality- in contrast to the emotional/rational hybrid of humans. Mother is the reification of supposed perfect rationality. So yeah- the answer to every plot query is- insert belated spoiler quote here-;)

Slydice · 14-06-2019 5:59pm

I think the film deals with the point by roughly saying:

The Mother droid unit is just a container unit for the Mother computer/AI
Mother is
in all the connected up droids and computers

So

the droid unit isn't mother, just a machine being remote controlled by mother. Same with all the other droids.

As for the recharge,

it's not even a deal breaker because they showed mother can wake up the droid unit and do stuff with it if it wanted to (when the doors were unlocked)

Plus.. it showed later

that it can power up and use the other droid units if it wants to

.

evilcloud · 14-06-2019 6:25pm

joe40 wrote: »

I made the mistake of watching the trailer for this and feel they gave away far too much of the story. I will watch it, but fecking modern trailers can be a disaster.

Yea I warned people about watching the trailer for this on the Netflix thread. Should have mentioned it here too.

Still plenty of surprises in it and highly recommend it.

But Netflix trailers should be avoided like the plague

cdgalwegian · 14-06-2019 6:38pm

Slydice wrote: »

I think the film deals with the point by roughly saying:

The Mother droid unit is just a container unit for the Mother computer/AI

Mother is
in all the connected up droids and computers

So
the droid unit isn't mother, just a machine being remote controlled by mother. Same with all the other droids.

As for the recharge,
it's not even a deal breaker because they showed mother can wake up the droid unit and do stuff with it if it wanted to (when the doors were unlocked)
Plus.. it showed later
that it can power up and use the other droid units if it wants to
.

yeah, that's all pretty clear in the film. All told, it's pretty impressive for a first time writer.

expectationlost · 14-06-2019 9:43pm

Slydice wrote: »

I think the film deals with the point by roughly saying:

The Mother droid unit is just a container unit for the Mother computer/AI

Mother is
in all the connected up droids and computers

So
the droid unit isn't mother, just a machine being remote controlled by mother. Same with all the other droids.

As for the recharge,
it's not even a deal breaker because they showed mother can wake up the droid unit and do stuff with it if it wanted to (when the doors were unlocked)
Plus.. it showed later
that it can power up and use the other droid units if it wants to
.

daughter could have gone outside before the mother droid got to her because she was asleep/recharging.

Slydice · 14-06-2019 9:56pm

lol dude..

mother isn't the droid..

the droid is just a husk.. a machine

mother remote controls it.

mother was all the machines outside too

Daughter 1 .. Swank.. also getting out clearly shows mother isnt focused on stopping them getting out

Mother was all about the exams. She was looking for a result in them.

We're not exactly sure why Daughter 2 died/was killed but it's implied it had something to do with the exams

expectationlost · 14-06-2019 10:19pm

Slydice wrote: »

lol dude..
mother isn't the droid..

the droid is just a husk.. a machine

mother remote controls it.

mother was all the machines outside too

I know that, im referring to both

why does mother think the best way to create good humans is with a 1 parent raised kid??

Slydice wrote: »

Daughter 1 .. Swank.. also getting out clearly shows mother isnt focused on stopping them getting out

did she let daughter 1 go, or just use her escape to her advantage when she could

Slydice · 14-06-2019 11:24pm

It's not explained in the film. We're not even 100% if mother was gonna kill her there in the end

That and much of the rest is why my first call out is for a sequel!

Twenty Grand · 15-06-2019 12:28am

Slydice wrote: »

It's not explained in the film. We're not even 100% if mother was gonna kill her there in the end

That and much of the rest is why my first call out is for a sequel!

I wondered if it was all part of the plan..

pixelburp · 15-06-2019 9:46pm

Watched it this evening and it's solid, low budget, but high budget looking; few sets and actors but it all looked slick and lived in. Mother herself was the standout with some fantastic practical FX that as always prove a render farm of 50 code monkeys is no substitute for a good costume.

The plot itself was ... fine. One of those puzzle-box narratives where part of me was waiting for the third act rug pull; what came though was neither surprising or particularly satisfying. Not terrible, but just lacking enough freshness to make the journey worthwhile.

Still a decent watch and a better standard than Netflix's usual jaunts into SciFi. Or indeed a lot of stuff in the cinema at the moment.

Twenty Grand · 15-06-2019 9:53pm

Here's a really good vid on the costume for Mother

https://youtu.be/8_XwRFD5Lqs

Sleepy · 17-06-2019 4:02pm

Quite enjoyed this and hope to see Netflix make more like it: good, solid mid-budget Sci-Fi.

Nobelium · 17-06-2019 9:35pm

Started well, but then the plot became an illogical mess. A wasted idea.

cdgalwegian · 17-06-2019 10:38pm

Nobelium wrote: »

Started well, but then the plot became an logical mess. A wasted idea.

Some of the ideas need teasing out, and are open-ended, but this hardly constitutes a logical mess. Can't see where this criticism is coming from.

expectationlost · 18-06-2019 2:47pm

expectationlost wrote: »

I know that, im referring to both
why does mother think the best way to create good humans is with a 1 parent raised kid??

because they could only afford one costume?

Tired Gardener · 19-06-2019 9:32am

A very enjoyable film, that had a lot of interesting ideas.

I think the reason for their only being one droid, is that it allowed the children the chance to develop more freely. If there had of been two droids the child may have felt out numbered and under constant scrutiny. By there only being one it give the child the illusion that at times it was free to explore. Essentially Mother wanted the child to grow up to be a replacement and the start of a better race, a more ethical race. This needed to come naturally from the child, the droid and mother could have easily forced the child to be a better person, but then it isn't really a better person as it is only doing what it has been told is right.

Also with the droid being a robotic female care giver could be a way to help encourage a more gentle, ethical human population. A male droid could spark rivalry in any potential children as the male may be seen as a challenge of authority that needs to be over come.

I think when Hillary Swank's character mentioned about vaguely remembering videos that was a call out to her being number 1 many years ago.

Mother is ethical while also being amoral, it served a higher purpose, and seeing just how badly we have damaged the ecology of the planet, I for one don't think Mother was wrong. Her purpose is one that may seem cruel, but the logic that supports it is unquestionable.

I Am Mother (netflix scifi)

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