Streaming Tip: This little-known sci-fi gem is similar to the Netflix hit “Black Mirror,” only MUCH more disturbing!

Fans of – in the best sense of the word – strange science fiction fare will certainly look back with pleasure on July 2021. Here, two films were shown on the big screen that did not see the genre as a spectacle between gigantic CGI effects or breathtaking star journeys, but rather focused on the small details. In addition to the heartwarming romance ‘I am your human’, which focused on the love between a relationship-shy Berlin woman and a highly developed AI, the dystopian thought experiment ‘The Trouble With Being Born’, which was praised by the official FILMSTARTS review , also appeared here – and thus missed a hard blow to the well of its (few) viewers.

Unfortunately, ‘The Trouble With Being Born’ was completely lost in theaters. If you didn’t have an arthouse theater near you, you probably barely noticed the movie was in theaters — or even existed. But that may now change, as the extraordinary science fiction drama is available for a manageable surcharge in rental and purchase versions from VoD providers such as Amazon Prime Video. Fans of the Netflix hits “Black Mirror” should definitely grab this. But be sure: things are definitely more disturbing here!

That’s what ‘Trouble With Being Born’ is about

Elli (Lena Watson) calls Georg (Dominik Warta) her father, but in reality she is just an advanced sex robot with his daughter’s memories. They experience hot summer days together, swimming in the pool and tanning in the sun. It is not clear whether Georg has already done this with his daughter, who suddenly disappeared from his life.

Elli, the android, seems to be gradually drawn by distant voices and invisible forces that distance her further and further from Georg. In the darkness of the forest, she will not only meet other people, but also experience a kind of self-confrontation that will inform her about who she is – and who she could be…

A painful experience

If Michael Haneke (“The White Ribbon”) had directed “AI Artificial Intelligence,” “The Trouble With Being Born” would likely have been created. Director Sandra Wollner not only adopts Haneke’s formalistic rigor, but also asks some incredibly exciting questions about being human. In this case, of course, in connection with its existence as a machine. This brings up answers that not only hurt, but also have an impact for a while. The official FILMSTARTS review gave it 3.5 out of 5 points:

“The dark drama, enriched with bits of horror and sci-fi, seems like a warning message from a wrongly programmed simulation world, like a more advanced and therefore deeper version of Steven Spielberg’s ‘AI – Artificial Intelligence’. Flickering, electric, disturbing. A stray signal, not easy to decipher.”

The problem with being born

Starting date

July 1, 2021

|
1 hour 37 minutes

By
Sandra Wolner

Of
Lena Watson,
Dominik Warta,
Ingrid Burhard

User rating

2.8

Movie releases

3.5

“The Trouble With Being Born” is especially impressive because Sandra Wollner does not resist penetrating into the abyss. With her second feature film, the director goes where it hurts. Based on the work of Philip K. Dick (who inspired Ridley Scott’s century work “Blade Runner”), Wollner explores the question of whether humans function exclusively according to patterns attached to them before birth, or whether the soul itself is just one appendage . is.

But not only does ‘The Trouble With Being Born’ have a lot of discursive potential, it is also reminiscent of the aforementioned Netflix hit ‘Black Mirror’, as the review says: “You think of ‘Black Mirror’ with an Austrian accent. Only with a greater will to confuse and disrupt. An irritation that mainly arises from the strange shape. This structure that repeatedly pushes the viewer away from simply absorbing the plot, combined with subtle shock and disgust.”

So if you want to take on a real tour de force that is challenging but also offers a bit of intellectual enlightenment, be sure to give yourself the sci-fi insider tip “The Trouble With Being Born.” The mix of anti-Pinocchio, body horror and “AI” with “Lolita” elements is quite something. But it is worth it!