Love Machina (2024)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  4 / 10

  The lack of focus from director Peter Sillen makes “Love Machina” a trying documentary despite a mildly interesting subject. Sillen can’t quite decide where he wants to center his film, which makes for a messy, confusing, and often boring result.
  
  The film dives into the unusual love story between Bina and Martine Rothblatt, a couple of self-described “futurists” who decided “till death do us part” didn’t sit right with them. Madly in love and armed with the belief that their relationship is a once-in-a-lifetime love affair for the ages, the pair commissioned an advanced humanoid that utilizes advanced artificial intelligence, something that supposedly could transfer Bina’s consciousness from her human body into a lifelike, look-alike robot.
  
  Yeah, all of this feels as weird as it sounds.
  
  There’s an enviable element to just how much Bina and Martine love each other, and the idea that an AI form of human consciousness would allow the pair to continue their love affair until the literal end of time is wildly romantic. But Sillen doesn’t successfully capture that element of his documentary. Instead, it all feels so scientific and dry, which takes an extraordinary story and makes it boring.
  
  These two are big dreamers with crazy ideas, but for every wild and wacky statement one of them makes, there’s also a comforting warmth to technology that offers a way to have your loved one next to you for all time. On the flip side, this also feels more than a little wrong.
  
  The AI robots are eerily similar to their human counterparts and once you see them in action, it’s highly disturbing. The documentary captures actual footage of these “fake” people, but they certainly do feel real. What’s even more real is the heavy emotional toll it takes on the real humans who are left behind. This can’t be good for anyone, even if the technology does bring brief moments of joy.
  
  “Love Machina” has the roots in place, they just aren’t fully developed into a particularly compelling documentary.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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