Synopsis
In an isolated future, Ruby (newly 25 and seriously lacking a social life) finds her lonesome routines disrupted when she makes an unlikely new friend: a mail-order robot. Ruby is forced to learn lessons from her new robot friend: the power of opening up, the importance of platonic intimacy, and how to quell that anxious voice in the back of your head that wonders why anyone would want to be friends with you. But in learning these lessons, she realizes it might mean outgrowing her new friend.
Director's Statement
I started developing this film during the height of the pandemic, as I was reflecting on isolation and the importance of human connection. As I watched the rapid advancement of AI, remote work, and “convenient” technologies that make our lives increasingly individualized, I was drawn to imagining a future in which technology helps humans become better humans. What if there was a robot that was designed to bring out the best in us?
Crew
Anika Kan Grevstad (Director / Writer) is a biracial (Chinese/White) director based in Los Angeles. Her work explores themes of isolation and belonging through a lens of genre, humor, and hope.
Her narrative and documentary shorts have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals nationwide, including LA Shorts, Provincetown, and LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Her short film WHAT WE FIND IN THE SEA won Best Short Film at the Santa Fe Film Festival, and NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES received the Special Jury Award for New Voices at LAAPFF. Her documentary HELEN PASHGIAN: VISIBLE INVISIBLE was featured as an LA Times Short Doc. Her latest short, MY ONLY FRIEND IS A ROBOT NAMED BEANS, starring Midori Francis, won the Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship at Austin Film Festival.
Anika has directed work for LACMA and Dropout TV, and was a 2023 recipient of the Hedgebrook screenwriting residency. With a background in documentary cinematography and editing, she brings a holistic, craft-driven approach to directing. Recent credits include DP and Editor on LOVE, LIZZO (HBO Max) and DP on THE JOB OF SONGS (DOC NYC).
Anika is drawn to emotionally nuanced, intimate stories that center underrepresented perspectives while exploring universal themes.
Behind the Scenes
- Runtime13:25
Synopsis
In an isolated future, Ruby (newly 25 and seriously lacking a social life) finds her lonesome routines disrupted when she makes an unlikely new friend: a mail-order robot. Ruby is forced to learn lessons from her new robot friend: the power of opening up, the importance of platonic intimacy, and how to quell that anxious voice in the back of your head that wonders why anyone would want to be friends with you. But in learning these lessons, she realizes it might mean outgrowing her new friend.
Director's Statement
I started developing this film during the height of the pandemic, as I was reflecting on isolation and the importance of human connection. As I watched the rapid advancement of AI, remote work, and “convenient” technologies that make our lives increasingly individualized, I was drawn to imagining a future in which technology helps humans become better humans. What if there was a robot that was designed to bring out the best in us?
Crew
Anika Kan Grevstad (Director / Writer) is a biracial (Chinese/White) director based in Los Angeles. Her work explores themes of isolation and belonging through a lens of genre, humor, and hope.
Her narrative and documentary shorts have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals nationwide, including LA Shorts, Provincetown, and LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Her short film WHAT WE FIND IN THE SEA won Best Short Film at the Santa Fe Film Festival, and NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES received the Special Jury Award for New Voices at LAAPFF. Her documentary HELEN PASHGIAN: VISIBLE INVISIBLE was featured as an LA Times Short Doc. Her latest short, MY ONLY FRIEND IS A ROBOT NAMED BEANS, starring Midori Francis, won the Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship at Austin Film Festival.
Anika has directed work for LACMA and Dropout TV, and was a 2023 recipient of the Hedgebrook screenwriting residency. With a background in documentary cinematography and editing, she brings a holistic, craft-driven approach to directing. Recent credits include DP and Editor on LOVE, LIZZO (HBO Max) and DP on THE JOB OF SONGS (DOC NYC).
Anika is drawn to emotionally nuanced, intimate stories that center underrepresented perspectives while exploring universal themes.
Behind the Scenes
- Runtime13:25
