Polyglots
who learn a second language often have better grammar than native speakers.
Perhaps that logic explains why an android treats people better than their fellow
human beings. Watching his interactions will lead to a hard revelation for a
little girl in Sociopaths, a short
film with bite, directed by A.T. (a.k.a. Takeshi Asai), which screens during
the 2017 Philip K. Dick Film Festival.
A
little girl drops her keys and nearly trips and falls, but a kindly android
scoops them both up. Having never seen an android before, she starts following
him in fascination. Time and again, she sees him to good deeds, but getting no
thanks or acknowledgement in return.
For
a while, Sociopaths seems like a
lesson in proper manners and citizenship that would be instructive for younger
viewers, but it takes a rather serious turn. Nevertheless, it certainly reminds
us adults how we are supposed to act. It is a brief film, but young Miyu Ando
is terrific as the little girl. She has to cover a wider emotional gamut than
viewers will initially expect, but she does it like a champ. The craftsmanship
of the android costuming and effects are also worthy of a big-budget studio
tent-pole.
