In this sci-fi thriller, a pregnant woman and her boyfriend try to outrun hordes of vengeful robots.
“Mother/Android,” written and directed by Mattson Tomlin, offers exactly what it says on the tin. The protagonist, Georgia (Chloë Grace Moretz), is a college student unsure about her relationship with her boyfriend, Sam (Algee Smith), when she discovers she is pregnant. That same night, the servant androids that occupy most well-off American homes (including Georgia’s) collectively glitch and turn murderous, and the country becomes a war zone.
There is a mother. There are androids. This film pulls the former off more elegantly than the latter, due in large part to a stunning performance from Moretz.
The bulk of the film takes place nine months after that fateful night. The country’s remaining humans occupy the military camps that dot the country, protected from androids by electromagnetic transmitters. Sam and Georgia, now past her due date, hope to flee to Korea via Boston, but they have to brave the wilderness ahead — a.k.a. “No Man’s Land” — first. Unfriendly soldiers, bloodthirsty robots and the pregnancy all complicate their plan.
For a movie set during a robot apocalypse, “Mother/Android” offers little in the way of world building. It’s unclear why the androids are revolting or what they want, just as it’s uncertain how America hopes to save itself. This undercooked backdrop is both a blessing and a curse: It offers ample room for the film’s strong emotional core, but it can also be hopelessly distracting. This is a movie about a young woman fighting to create a family for herself against all odds. Also, cyborgs?
The androids are effectively creepy (think “Terminator” skeletons mixed with zombies), and Moretz sells Georgia’s turmoil so gamely as to overshadow the ridiculous premise. A standout turn by Raúl Castillo sends the film into a twisty third act. It’s a bizarre movie, but there’s enough action to help you zip through this overstuffed story even if you’re not sure why you (or Georgia, or Sam) are there in the first place.
Mother/Android
Rated R for robotics (and dismemberment). Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes. Watch on Hulu.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
