A couple of years after the death of their only child in an accident, a couple get a holographic message about their new product a robot that is meant to give people experiencing loss “more time” with a loved one. The wife is all for it but the husband is sceptical but agrees to go along to the company and watch the sales pitch.

Upon hearing the robot is free for parents who have lost their loved one due to an accident or crime, the husband agrees to at least keep the robot for a while. The wife is taken with it straight away, but the husband is more reserved “it’s a Roomba!”.

It is still a drama alongside a sci-fi movie but there is not any escalation as you would think like happens in a lot of these sorts of films. I felt that was a relief as that trope is a bit tired these days, come up with something different!

It is set in the “near future” but not really much different than now. Does seem to be a lot more electric vehicles and drone delivery for parcels. The robots are “good enough” to pass as humans but are mistreated as although they are exactly what the people who order them want; they are not able to feel pain or have emotions. This causes some of their owners to mistreat them or abandon them when they have actual children.

The whole “objects have souls” belief in Japanese folklore shows through here. The husband being a carpenter and loving having baths in his wooden bath “mum says don’t put the dirty wood in the bath!” and a beer afterwards seems grounded. He believes trees have souls but does not believe a robot can.

Having started to read “Love Machines” about AI companions and other articles and opinion pieces about the technology so this has come along at just the right time. There are a lot of other anime and manga about this subject that would be interesting to watch alongside this.

Well worth a look if you have an interest in sci fi stories involving families and the impact of technology on people’s lives.

Film details:

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Producer: Megumi Banse, Kaoru Matsuzaki

Screenwriter: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cinematographer: Ryuto Kondo

Composer: Yuta Bandoh

Editor: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Production Designer: Takuya Okada

Costume Designer: Sacico Ito

Key Cast: Daigo, Rimu Kuwaki, Haruka Ayase

Year: 2026

Length: 126 mins

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi

Trailer