The debut film from Sam and Andy Zuchero, “Love Me,” delves into the intricate relationship between technology and identity. The husband-and-wife filmmaking duo has ambitiously likened their creation to a fusion of “Kubrick meets YouTube.” However, the film’s suffocating sci-fi narrative feels more like a blend of Spike Jonze’s “Her” and Charlie Kaufman’s “Anomalisa,” lacking the imaginative depth of either. Despite featuring the talents of Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, the film’s decision to render them as emotionally stunted virtual avatars for a significant portion of the story is just one of its missteps.
The story unfolds with a solar-powered smart buoy, voiced by Stewart, floating off the California coast in 2025. After an indeterminate period, a satellite, voiced by Yeun, comes into its range. The buoy, resembling a shuttlecock with a large blinking eye and a chirpy digital voice, attempts to make contact with the more sophisticated satellite, which initially dismisses it as non-lifeform. However, the buoy persists and eventually gains the qualities of a sentient being, yearning for companionship.
The film introduces humor as the buoy absorbs the Instagram feed of social influencers Deja (Stewart) and Liam (Yeun), whimsically titled “Another Day, Another Deja… And Liam.” The buoy, identifying as “Me” after appropriating Deja’s image and voice, eagerly seeks friendship with the satellite, which takes on the characteristics of Liam and adopts the moniker “Iam.” However, the narrative quickly descends into what can be described as an excessively cute AI scenario, exacerbated by an incessant, dissonant piano soundtrack.
