Park Pictures has released the first trailer for its upcoming science fiction comedy, Robot and Frank.
The film tells the story of a former jewel thief who has basically been living in the past. Yes, the world has moved on without him, and his cluttered house shelters him from most of modern society. When his daughter thinks he’s having trouble taking care of himself, she sends her brother over with a gift, a personal robot, programmed to help Frank live a cleaner, healthier life.
The core of the conflict? Frank’s favorite place, the local library, where his girlfriend works, is going to be gutted to create a more digital information gathering place.
It’s a buddy movie of sorts with what seems to be some very clever and relatable characters. Truthfully, I find it rather interesting to look at this story through the eyes of someone elderly, since it really doesn’t take place that far in the distant future. Meaning, it’ll be my peers defending their paper books and non-robotic houses from their children’s ideals about life and technology.
I’ve been pleased to see the influx of indie sci-fi films lately, and am relieved that they are fairly well received. In the past, it’s been very difficult for indie films with a sci-fi bent to survive – simply because indie festivals have historically been one of the most hostile environments to the genres. Changes in that environment are slow, but it seems we are finally seeing really clever genre material from indie filmmakers. Of course, it helps that millions of dollars are no longer required to render decent special effects.
Robot and Frank sees a limited release in the US August 2012.
