I Am Mother (2019)

I Am Mother is a thoughtful but taut science-fiction thriller from director Grant Sputore, who, along with screenwriter Michael Lloyd Green, concocted this futuristic tale with a more modest budget in mind, given that it would be their first produced film. The setting is limited primarily to the single location with a tiny selection of actors, but the technical specs and feel of the scope still remain large, given the commitment to excellent technical design, especially in the sleek but fluid look of Mother, and believable set work.

Clara Rugaard plays a young teenager we only hear referred to as ‘daughter’ by ‘mother’, who is has an android body (played in the reportedly very heavy (about 95 lbs.) practical effects suit by Luke Hawker, who also would recite the lines by Mother that would eventually be voiced over) with a soothing woman’s voice (Mother’s finished voice-over acting provided by Rose Byrne). We soon come to find that Mother is an artificial intelligence robot that works within a facility that is raising children in order to learn how to properly nurture them to adulthood, for the purpose of one day repopulating the contaminated Earth that lies outside of their safe enclosure in this post-apocalyptic tale. Daughter is the only living human in the facility, though Mother says that her family, which is a collection of human embryos currently being kept on tap, can be born and raised using a quick-gestation technology that we see Daughter produced from when the time comes.

As with many science fiction films, much of the story rests upon the underlying social commentary meant as a mirror reflection on things going on within our own society. In this tale, the opposite of what’s going on today in the world of artificial intelligence takes place in front of our eyes. Just as we are concerned about how to develop, train, and use artificial intelligence to make a for a benefit to society, trying to erase all flaws, this story flips that on its end, by making the artificial intelligence the determinant of the kind of humans that need “research and development” before we are released into the world to populate it again.

It also delves into what it takes to be a good parent, trying to train our children to be better selves while also trying to learn to be better parents, though, unlike Mother, we don’t get to perform any do-overs. We must do our best to get things right the first time around, and with technology and artificial intelligence becoming more and more useful in helping us in our day to day tasks, it is only a matter of time before that technology is used to provide much of the care and education that our children may need in order for them to become their best selves. Or so we think.

As I mention in my cast list, there is a point where we will meet someone else into this initially two-part story played by Hilary Swank.  As this is a film that is decidedly resting on reveals to propel much of the suspense within its story, I’ll say no more about how and why her character gets involved other than to pay Sputore respect for the way that the film is able to break out in its tone to encompass a variety of genres, and also in the way that the perspectives are constantly shifting to the point where we wonder how the conflicts that emerge will ultimately resolve, and whether we can feel a comfort in any of the directions things could potentially go from there.

Aspects of I Am Mother will remind you of other films in the genre, most notably 2001: A Space Odyssey in its questioning of whether leaving our lives in the hands of artificial intelligence is a scary thing (it’s probably no coincidence that Mother’s face contains an element very reminiscent of HAL). A more recent film to which I Am Mother is sometimes similar to is 10 Cloverfield Lane, in which people are stuck in a bunker fearing the world contaminated outside, never quite knowing whether that threat is real or if they are in more imminent danger from what happens in the safe haven they seem to be trapped within.  Shades of the Ridley Scott and James Cameron films that touch upon artificial intelligence, like Blade Runner, The Terminator, and Alien/s end up making it into the mix, though not necessarily in the most obvious way that you’d expect, taking the question on whether a sentient artificial intelligence power structure can be a protective or destructive force to the greyest of areas. Finally, some players of the popular console and PC game “Portal” will note several similarities between characters and events within the film and components within the game itself.

These last two examples show how much can be done with a modest budget, which I Am Mother most certainly uses judiciously in the best of ways. Strong effects work from Weta Workshop, both in terms of practical effects and the CG elements, blend seamlessly, especially in the way that Mother’s look and movement consider both its comforting voice and instructed demeanor, but also its intimidation in terms of its ability to be strong and swift as need be.  While it never quite achieves the lasting heights of its revolutionary sources of inspiration within science fiction, I Am Mother remains a well-done evolution of those stories, competently told, acted, and thought out in a suspenseful and provocative way.

By the end, we question how we can make the perfect A.I. if we, as the creators are inherently flawed, just as we, the creators and teachers of our children, are also flawed. If a source of artificial intelligence were to exist on the notion of the betterment of humanity as a species, how would it proceed to make an imperfect world run by imperfect humans a perfect place where we need no longer fear our worst impulses and instincts?  I Am Mother pushes this question to the limit with an answer that is both thoughtfully philosophical and shockingly terrifying to consider.

Qwipster’s rating: B+

MPAA Rated: Not rated but would probably be rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language
Running Time: 113 min.

Cast: Clara Rugaard, Hilary Swank, Rose Byrne, Luke Hawker
Director: Grant Sputore
Screenplay: Michael Lloyd Green