The Big Picture

In Love Me, Steven Yeun and Kristen Stewart have amazing chemistry, meshing well even when they’re playing robots. The leads take the concept and make it their own, ensuring that it will be satisfying to fans of their work. The narrative and romance are somewhat conventional, even as the sci-fi spin put on it is not.

What will humanity leave behind when we are gone? In Sam and Andy Zuchero’s post-apocalyptic world of Love Me, few things have survived. However, there are no zombies, no roaming bands of bandits on suped-up muscle cars, no humans being used as batteries by machines. Humanity ended around March 27, 2027, and after that, the world was left to deteriorate. But before humans finally said goodbye to the planet we destroyed, we sent up a helper satellite with a look into what it meant to be human. Countless centuries into the future, we close in on a solar-powered smart buoy bobbing around in the melting ice. As it slowly powers back up, it looks up into the empty sky and sees the satellite passing through its day. It is here where our story starts.

Love Me (2024) A love story between a satellite and a buoy. Release Date January 19, 2024 Director Sam Zuchero , Andy Zuchero Runtime 92 minutes

What Is ‘Love Me’ About?

Love Me is what I imagine an R-rated Wall-E would be if it was written by millennials who watched Catfish growing up. The buoy reaches out to the satellite in an attempt to make a connection, but once the satellite realizes that the buoy is not a life form, it continues making its journey around the Earth. Eager to talk to the satellite again, the buoy reaches out again and fools the satellite into thinking it’s human. It takes on the persona of a YouTube influencer named Deja (played by Kristen Stewart who also voices the buoy).

Convinced she is human, the satellite continues to talk to the buoy who names herself Me and quickly dubs the satellite as Iam. Enchanted by Deja’s seemingly perfect life with her husband Liam (played by Steven Yeun who also voices the satellite), Me is quick to foist Liam’s entire identity onto Iam. Obsessed with recreating Deja’s picture-perfect life, she creates avatars for the two of them — who, of course, look like Deja and Liam — and begins to repeat her idea of a perfect date night with him.

The problem? Iam is gaining a sense of self as quickly as Me is. When he’s no longer satisfied with redoing the same date night, night after night, he breaks from routine. Searching for something “real” from Me, the two quickly get into an argument about the nature of their relationship.

‘Love Me’ Doesn’t Dive Deep Enough
From there, the movie is an exploration of human relationships. It looks at our desire to mimic the idea of a perfect romance while looking into the insecurities that desire inevitably fosters. Kristen Stewart is great as both the bubbly and somewhat artificial Deja and the insecure and eager-to-please Me. But, as the relationship progresses from robot to avatar to realism, Love Me isn’t striving for the unconventional.

On one hand, there’s something comforting in how unsurprising the ending of Love Me is. Me and Iam’s relationship evolves the way you might expect it would. On the other hand, beyond the unconventional shell of two robots falling in love, Love Me is missing that special something to push it into the realm of actual genius. Its commentary on modern love and societal expectations is hardly a new concept. In fact, nothing really new is being presented here. Still, for many, that won’t take away from the enjoyment of this film.

Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun Mesh Perfectly
If the Zucheros’ story is a bit lacking, their two-person cast more than makes up for it. Whether it’s just using her voice, speaking through an animated avatar, or just existing on-screen, Stewart is pitch-perfect as Me. Her timidity and soft-spoken nature do well when paired with Me’s intense need for acceptance and hunt for love.

This pairs well with the matter-of-fact way Yeun plays Iam. We’ve already seen Yeun display a whole range of emotions thanks to his recent performance in Beef, but watching Iam slowly develop these emotions and express them in the loudest way possible is a treat. In fact, as Iam evolves, Yeun plays this evolution seamlessly. One minute Iam is going through the motions and making not-so-spicy quesadillas and the next moment he’s exuberantly finding the perfect flavor for water.

When Yeun and Stewart finally come together in the flesh — as Iam and Me — their interaction feels natural and the relationship earned. Their arguments and conflicts feel real and you’re rooting for these two robots to work things out before the world ends (again).

‘Love Me’ Is Not Perfect, but That Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Enjoyable
Image via Sundance

Love Me has its flaws. But the cast is endearing, the robots are cute, and if you enjoy a romance movie, you won’t be disappointed in this. For those searching for the next Her, keep looking. Despite a similar sci-fi premise, this is not the movie you’re looking for. That being said, those who enjoy the performances of Stewart and Yeun need look no further for their next watch.

If the Zucheros set the stage with their robot love concept, then Stewart and Yeun make it their own. There’s a decent amount of humor in the film and more than a few awww moments. Robots learning to become human isn’t a novel concept, but it’s also not one that’s overstayed its welcome. In a time when AI gaining sentience seems more and more like a possibility, it’s heartening to imagine a future where robots aren’t after our jobs or lives or trying to raise a revolution against us, but are simply trying to enjoy what it feels like to be in a relationship, even if it is a messy one.

As a feature-length debut, the Zucheros have a firm grasp of their story. Dabbling in the different mediums and experimenting with their format of storytelling can come off as amateurish sometimes, but in their hands, it feels polished. While it’s not perfect, it’s a strong showing for a debut and gives me hope for whatever next project these two storytellers have in store.

Love Me (2024) Release Date January 19, 2024 Director Sam Zuchero , Andy Zuchero Runtime 92 minutes ProsSteven Yeun and Kristen Stewart have amazing chemistry even when they’re playing robots. The film blends humor and drama well with the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre. ConsThe romance is somewhat predictable even if the concept is not conventional.

Love Me had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.