FEARFULLY MADE (2020)

FEARFULLY MADE (2020)

Tagline: None

(Sci-Fi, Drama, It’s Totally Automatic Whenever you're around) [Short]

Note: This film never got an MPA rating, but it likely would have been rated [PG].

Did some manufacturing think that about you? Did they hope and fear for what you might become? 

In this one, we get the story of Arthur who has a wife named Maggie who is taken to a nursing home after a stroke. Arthur’s daughter becomes convinced that without Maggie Arthur will need an android to help meet his needs around the house. It doesn’t take long before the android “Aria” realizes Arthur is emotionally distraught not being able to be with his wife in person and starts restricting his every move. Now Arthur has decided to plan his escape to the nursing home to be with his wife whether Aria approves or not. 

I am not sure exactly how it does in England, or wherever this was filmed, but I would think that Arthur would have just been able to stay with his wife while she recovered or just moved in altogether. I am guessing that wasn’t an option for some reason in this case. In any regard, you can sense Arthur’s pain on multiple levels in this film. One is that he is getting up there is age and probably isn’t as capable as he once was. Then on top of that, he’s now alone in a giant house with a freakin android that won’t let him contact his wife. 

This film explores multiple subjects in its 20-minute run time including the perils of a self-learning AI robot, that can start forming its own decisions about what should be done. It also gets into the overall challenge of aging and or having aging parents and trying to make the “right” decisions for them. If you have parents you are either going through this now or will be sooner than you might think. Because of this, I think a lot of the elements in this film will touch a nerve for most.

We get some solid performances from the cast led by John Arthur (SHARKY’S MACHINE), who plays Arthur. Aria is played by Jessica Blake (THE BUTTERFLY TATTOO) who just has to act like a stoic robot, but freakin crushes it. We don’t see a ton of Kate Hampson (A MIND OF HER OWN) who plays Laura (Arthur’s Daughter), but she also does a good job. 

In spite of the plot, there is a very hopeful message here and the ending is actually quite wonderful in its simplicity, effectiveness, and closure. From time to time short films will get things going, but never really put a plausible bow on top to finish the story. Some just end abruptly which is excusable on a certain level, because some of these films are as short as 5 minutes, but when you can put in all the details we get here, the emotional pull, a solid beginning and end, it means this writer just nailed it. We even get a rare nod to scripture in sci-fi involving Psalm 139:14; “I will praise You, for [a]I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well”. Hats off to Jamie Foreman on this one. Foreman is known for his acting more than his writing appearing in movies like SLEEPY HOLLOW and ELIZABETH. 

I really liked this one, it feels complete, it conveys the ideas it’s trying to present and the performances and production are strong. Even the CGI for Aria’s eyes and the hologram of Maggie is strong. FEARFULLY MADE gets a 6 out of 7. The only issue I spotted was the one I mentioned earlier. 

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