I'M YOUR MAN (ICH BIN DEIN MENSCH)

A whimsical touch coupled with philosophical questions is a winning formula but I'm Your Man is a joyous experience foremost because of the lead performances.

Earlier this year After Yang asked the question whether sentient robots are partly human. German film I'm Your Man - more aptly titled Ich bin dein Mensch in its original language - asks a similar question but comes up with better answers.

The picture features a sceptical academic taking in an android that has been doctored to be her perfect partner. While she vehemently tries to resist his charms, she is slowly won over by the hidden layers of his personality, and so is the viewer.

Especially once the script finds a whimsical touch after an opening that is perhaps a tad too serious, you are swept up not just in the story but in the philosophical questions behind it, that linger long after the movie has unspooled.

But the main reason why I'm Your Man is such a joyous experience are the lead performances. Maren Eggert is perfectly cast as a woman hiding her fragilities in plain sight, while android Dan Stevens - speaking flawless German throughout - adds yet another peculiar but superbly crafted role to a resumé that gets more impressive with each film.

release: 2021

director: Maria Schrader

starring: Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller, Karolin Peiter