Robot Stories

Robot Stories is a 2003 American independent anthology science fiction comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Pak.

The film consists of four stories in which human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies and android office workers.

The film is divided up to four short stories: A young Marcia hides in the closet from her parents' fighting due to a mistake she has made.

To apologize for the theft, she sends all of Wilson's toys to the shop/collector, but keeps the angel like female robot as a way to stay connected to her son, even though she now finally accepts his death.

As he attempts to make acquaintance with people in the office workplace, he is rejected and shunned because he is a robot.

In The Robot Fixer, Bernice notes how she never had a strong connection with her son due to their contrasting ideologies.

The film received largely positive reviews and has a score of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 43 reviews with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10, the consensus being that "Although its 4 stories vary in quality, Robot Stories is still worth a look for Twilight Zone fans".

[2] Wesley Morris from The Boston Globe in his review said "In Robot Stories, technology hasn't colonized human life, it's finding ways to make living (and loving) better".

[3] The San Francisco Chronicle in their glowing review said that "This is a science fiction film, but like all excellent movies in the genre, the focus never strays from the human heart.

"[4] The TV Guide review awarded it with three and a half out of four, and wrote that the film is "ostensibly about artificial life forms, each of these four short, expertly crafted stories offers a poignant perspective on what it means to be human".

Variety magazine said "Pak understands the short form well, mercifully avoiding blatant O'Henry twists while pulling off neat reversals of expertly set-up genre expectations",[7] and Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times wrote of Pak's directing saying that "The most startling aspect of Robot Stories is not the mix that the director built from spare parts left on the curb but the evolving dramatic acumen of its maker; he's a talent with a future.