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You might be wondering if you are the only person in love with a doll. It turns out that you are not at all alone. There are many people who keep a doll in the house with reasons transcending aesthetic objectives. It has been something of a phenomenon and inspires countless movies. There is a whole genre of it now and a robust audience base for it. That said, given below are some of the movies where we see a high-tech doll or affection between a human with an inanimate object.
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007)
My first pick is Lars and the Real Girl mainly because the movie stars my favourite actor Ryan Gosling from the blockbuster Notebook movie. But that is not the only reason why the movie finds a place here and in my heart. Besides the favourite-actor-starring element, there is a very touching story that I can connect with and love.
To begin with, Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is a person who lives a rather secluded life, in the small town of Wisconsin. Lars has a pretty sad start in life as his mother died when he was born due to natal complications. This resulted in his grief-stricken father becoming a distant parent to Lars and his older brother, Gus. Life became even harder for Lars as his brother left town as soon as he came of age and returned only to claim his share of the inheritance when their father expired.
As a result, Lars transforms into an individual avoiding social contact. He fares very poorly in terms of interaction with his family, colleagues, and folks of his church. Even when a colleague named Margo shows a romantic interest in Lars, he does not reciprocate the interest and restricts himself to brief interactions and encounters. He lives alone in the converted garage, and even when his brother’s wife Karin invites him for a family meal in the house, he refuses.
His world changes when a real doll named Bianca enters his life. He begins to find comfort and company in Bianca the love doll. What is even more touching is that he treats her as a human and builds a very unique bond with her.
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001)
This one touches my heart in ways you could only imagine. A robotic boy that is programmed to love is adopted as a test case by an employee that works for a company called Cybertronics that manufactures A.I robots.
The robotic boy is called David and yearns for the love of his foster mother. As such the robotic boy embarks on his journey of love. He wants humans to love him back. The journey is not a very pleasant one for him. But despite the odds, his quest for love and meaning is so unwavering. You will be left thinking about love and re-examining its meaning and purpose.
EX MACHINA (2014)
Now, this is a weekend worthy movie. The movie revolves around Ava, a robot with artificial intelligence designed to be a flirtatious robot.
The movie revolves around a programmer named Caleb Smith. While working for the search engine company called Blue Book, Smith wins an office contest that awards a one-week visit to the luxurious, isolated home of the CEO, Nathan Bateman. Upon arriving there, Smith is introduced to the female humanoid named Ava with artificial intelligence. Nathan reveals to Smith his intention to find out if Ava is capable of thought and consciousness although knowing very well that she is artificial.
To that end, Caleb is to engage Ava in a daily session and study her. But things get complicated when Caleb gets attracted to Ava and the later also expresses romantic interest and the desire to experience the outside world. And the heightened gravity makes it all the more entertaining.
HER (2013)
This film revolves around Theodore Twombly who develops a relationship with Samantha, an artificially intelligent virtual assistant personified through a female voice.
Theodore is a person who suffers from loneliness, introversion, and depression. Meanwhile, he works for a business where the people who work are professional writers who are into the job of composing letters for people who are not able to write letters of a personal nature themselves. Life takes a turn for the worse when Theodore faces an impending divorce from his wife Catherine. To cope with his loneliness, Theodore buys an operating system upgrade with an artificial intelligence-enabled virtual assistant that has the ability to adapt and evolve.
Theodore desires the AI to have a female voice, and the AI names herself Samantha (coincidently we also have a doll by the same name). Theodore is intrigued by her ability to learn and grow psychologically. They bond over their discussions about love and love and end up falling in love.
ELECTRIC DREAM (1984)
This is an old classic but beautiful in concept and storyline. The film depicts a love triangle among a man, a woman, and a personal computer.
The protagonist in the film is a character named Mile Harding. He is an architect who envisions a design that could make buildings withstand the impact of earthquakes. In order to take his project forward, he buys a personal computer and starts working.
Something extraordinary happens when Mile downloads an entire database from a mainframe computer at work. His computer becomes overheated and out of panic, Mile uses a bottle of champagne to douse it. Something out of the blue happens when he does that. The overheating machine becomes sentient.
However, Mikes is initially unaware of the computer attaining a state of sentience. He only stumbles upon the new development when one night he is awakened by the computer mimicking him talking in his sleep. In a series of events that follow, a love triangle develops amongst Miles, his computer (who later identifies himself as Edgar), and Miles’ neighbour, an attractive cellist named Madeline Robistat.
HOWARD THE DUCK (1986)
This one stands out from the crowd of Hollywood’s takes on the genre of humans falling in love or developing an extraordinary bond with non-humans.
In the film, a 27-year-old Howard the Duck lives on Duckworld, a planet similar to our planet Earth but inhabited by anthropomorphic ducks and orbited by two moons. Things begin to get messy when Howard the Duck is propelled out of his living room by his armchair and into outer space. Howard eventually lands on Earth, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Upon arriving, Howard encounters a woman named Beverly Switzler. A series of events make him end up at Beverly’s apartment where the duo develops a complex relationship and explores what the extraordinary has in store for them.
A.I. RISING (2018)
This film is as sci-fi as it can get. What makes it more interesting is that the story involves a humanoid android sent on a space mission along with a human astronaut.
The movie is set in the future in 2148. That year, the Ederlezi Corporation undertakes a space mission to the Alpha Centauri star system. The Corporation handpicks Milutin for the mission but also demands that he accepts Nimani, an android designed to respond to the cosmonaut’s desire and to monitor his performance on the ship.
Nimani is activated during the trip and Milutin experiments with her programmed scenarios. Down the line, the two become romantically entwined. What is even more extraordinary is that after Milutin starts an augment scenario, he finds that she is beginning to act beyond her routines, and reads in emotion in the interaction.
Conclusion
Watching a movie you love is a very exhilarating experience. That said, the descriptions above are merely a synopsis. To know about the whole story and enjoy it, you have to watch them. In the meantime, there are several movies on the same genre. I only handpick those movies which I think you should not miss out. Feel free to watch any movie on the same genre but never miss the ones I handpick as a must-watch.