It’s rare that a film looks into ‘the near future’ and doesn’t see digital chaos, silicon tragedy and human slaves being electronically whipped by their robot overlords. Robot & Frank bypasses the technophobia of such films to present a far more recognisable version of our probable old age.
On the surface, Robot & Frank comes across as a gentle comedy about an elderly ex-jewel thief who is addled with a robot helper when his children stop visiting.
But it is neither as anodyne as this sounds nor as cynical as the sentimental tosh often lacquered with the ‘feel-good’ tag. It is gentle but unfolds with a real melancholy as the dementia of Frank (Frank Langella) is woven delicately with the perfection and pitfalls of computer memory.
Although initially rejecting the robot (I love that he never gives it a name), Frank eventually recognises its potential for assisting him in one last dip into his old criminal ways. The robot is the perfect friend for Frank, offering complete servility and confidentiality. Programmed to help Frank stay healthy, the robot also gives Frank the opportunity to fulfil his need to rebel – ironically, the more Frank disobeys its agenda, the more his youthful spark returns.
The best thing about the film is its portrait of Frank. The robot may be Frank’s reliable rock but as it consistently reminds him, it doesn’t really exist as a tangible personality. The truth is, its main function is to allow Frank to become reacquainted with himself. Through his interaction with an infallible computer memory, Frank begins to recall long forgotten slivers of his life story – bittersweet both for him and us.
The film is a thoughtful meditation on ageing and delicately raises questions about the perceived burden of the aged, the failing human memory’s capacity for improvement and what benefits might be lost to both parties if the young abandon the old.
Jon Bates Writes 