Kristen Stewart AND Steven Yeun explore romance as AI-powered machines learn how to emote in their new film, i love me.
The film, which opens in theaters on Friday, January 31, follows an ink (Stewart) and a satellite (Yeun) as they inherit the Earth after the extinction of humanity. With only the Internet as their guide, the two learn what it means to be alive—and in love.
The trailer, which was released by Bleecker Street on Wednesday, January 1, sees Stewart’s ink floating in the ocean as he connects to the Internet and begins to learn what it means to be a “human being.” Voza comes across online uploads of a beautiful woman – also played by Stewart – and chooses to recreate himself in her image. It then connects to Yeun’s satellite in the sky and offers to become “friends”.
“We can be friends! Choose a face. What about this face?” the buzzard asks the satellite as he sits on a picture of Yeun. The pair then create a universe for themselves to exist in human bodies.
“How does it feel to be alive?” Yeun thinks as he and Stewart kiss, eat ice cream, and learn their new faces. “Have you ever thought how amazing it is that we found each other?” Stewart asks as flashes of life’s moments — like date nights, pregnancies and births — flash across the screen.
Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun in “Love Me.”
Courtesy Bleecker Street“Life is full of rainbows and light. It’s intense,” she continues as more footage of people’s social media plays and Stewart holds a puppy. “I’m not even a boat anymore. I’m just me.”
“We’re becoming who we are,” adds Yeun. “I want to be us.”
Love Me had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024, where it was awarded the festival’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Award, an honor given to an outstanding title that focuses on science or technology.
Stewart, for her part, received a visionary award at the event. While accepting the award, the actress expressed why she was withdrawn i love mewhich dares to “jump down identity’s throat”.
“Every five minutes we can just roll over, and the main echo (is) if we just absorbed the internet, if we all died right now and our footprint was this kind of echo of inequality, I’d be proud of that,” she explained. . “Like, I love me. We just want to be like, ‘See me? what am i Am I anything? Am I distinctive? I don’t know. Is it worth loving? I don’t know. It’s a film about identity and how it changes every 30 seconds, every split second, just the words attached to it, the kind of feelings and images that attach to identity. They are always changing.”
i love me marks the first feature from directors Sam and Andy Zuchero and aims to explore AI and identity through live-action, animatronics and classic animation in an epic tale of connection and transformation. The film is produced by ShivHans Pictures, 2AM and AgX. : Daniel Beckerman, Christine D’Souza Gelb, Connor Flanagan, Jason Netter, Heather Puttock AND Anna Junger serve as executive producers.
i love me hits theaters Friday, January 31.
