You will never look at a Captcha the same way ever again. If you say it over and over again, it begins to almost resemble the sound of ‘gotcha,’ which is appropriate for the revelations that emerge from Victoria Warmerdam’s superb dark comedy, I’m Not a Robot. This film successfully blends themes of free will, independence and even body autonomy while confronting its audience with an almost silly question: What would you do if you suddenly found out that you were a bot?
Lara sits serently at her desk. Even as her colleagues work diligently around her, Lara listens to music before preparing for some presentations for the day. When she fails to get through a Captcha test, she nearly laughs through her frustration. We’ve all been there–you have to click everything just right before those little tiles will let you finish your task. Every time it fails to go through, you squint your eyes at the screen–did you miss something? When Lara rings customer service, they ask her plainly, “Have you ever considered that you might be a robot? You wouldn’t be the first to find out this way.”
The concept of Warmerdam’s film takes the mundane but heightens it to an otherwordly and strange level. If you are, indeed, a robot, what do you do next? Most of us only know these characters from cartoons, fantasy films, or as villainous monsters ready to rise up.
When Lara tries to call her boyfriend, Daniel, he offers no help which only ramps ups her anxiety. Warmerdam expertly ratchets up the tension as Lara spirals into disarray. In one exchange, Lara is trying to get the admission of her customer service conversation out to Daniel, and she can’t find a quiet place to tell him. More people seem to scuttle around the office building or appear suddenly. Is it only her own apprehension or is something larger and more concerning afoot?
I’m Not a Robot is original, witty, and surprisingly reflective. Sometimes the most rebellious act is to question everything, and when that is coupled with a startling self-discovery, we can find out our own most human qualities.
