Today’s quick review: I Am Mother. Years after the extinction of humanity, an underground bunker holds the last hope for restoring the species: thousands of embryos waiting to be born and a robot, Mother (Rose Byrne), to raise them. The first of these new humans is Daughter (Clara Rugaard), a bright girl who lives happily with Mother. But their relationship is strained by the unexpected arrival of a survivor from the outside (Hilary Swank).
I Am Mother is a science fiction movie about a teenage girl and the robot raising her. Once content to live the life Mother laid out for her, Daughter begins to doubt what she has been told when she meets a woman who, according to Mother, should not exist. To uncover the truth about the outside world, Daughter must win a subtle cat-and-mouse game with Mother. As an added wrinkle, the survivor may or may not have her best interests at heart.
I Am Mother takes a minimalistic premise and executes it with skill. The movie is one part post-apocalyptic drama, one part slow-boil thriller, and one part speculation about artificial intelligence. No single aspect of the story dominates the others, but the combination of them leads to a well-rounded and fully realized vision. I Am Mother has something to offer science fiction fans, albeit more for its craftsmanship than for its novelty.
I Am Mother provides just enough of a lot of little things. Daughter makes for a resourceful protagonist with clear motivations. Mother straddles the line between genuinely caring and disturbingly alien. The plot has a number of little twists interspersed with one or two big ones, making it an interesting guessing game. The sets and special effects are modest but put to good use, painting a plausible picture of the future.
I Am Mother is just the kind of solid, well-scoped science fiction story that will appeal to fans of the genre. Robust fundamentals and a cohesive vision of the future make it a strong pick for anyone interested in the cerebral, speculative side of the genre. Those looking for spectacular action or a groundbreaking story may want to look elsewhere. For minimalistic sci-fi in a similar vein, try Moon, Oblivion, Orbiter 9, or IO.
6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for bread-and-butter science fiction with a high degree of craftsmanship.