Spike Jonze, director of the weirdly disturbing but great “Where The Wild Things Are”, has made a little 30 minute film called “I’m Here”, sponsored oddly by Absolute Vodka. I suppose funding is funding but I’m betting Spike isn’t hard up for sponsorship these days. No matter who pays the bills, this story of two droids in love looks pretty interesting. The male bots head looks exactly like a PC I once had (and maybe still do). “I’m Here” is due to be premiered at the Sundance Film Fest. Fast Company interviewed Mark Figliulio and Matt Bijarchi, the producers of the film. Thanks Io9.
“This isn’t the first time people have created branded content,” says Figliulio. “But it’s never really been accepted on its own merits. That’s the grey area we’re trying to explore.” Set in a gauzy version of L.A., it’s a love story about a boy and a girl—who also happen to be robots made from what looks like cast-off computer parts from 1994. That conceit allows Jonze to create a quirky, alternate world for their romance. In one scene, for example, the boy plugs in the girl for the night—which manages to become a scene of such delicate intimacy that it makes you squirm a little. (The male lead is played by Andrew Garfield, who was also just recently cast in David Fincher’s adaptation of The Social Network, a book about Facebook’s founding. Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, who founded the company with Mark Zuckerberg.)
