By Robin E. Simmons
The tag line reads: “When humanity turns functional, the heart of machines beats louder.”
Hmmm, what does that mean? A loving mother is forced to terminate her relationship with her only daughter – a dysfunctional android. Did you read that correctly? Android daughter. The mom tries to convince her husband to adopt a human kid. But in a materialistic and functional world, safety takes precedence over emotions.
It’s 2061. A virus has decimated half of the world’s population. If humans want to live, they are compelled to take a daily vaccine that has one side effect: sterility! To cope with their incapacity to give life, couples can buy “young” androids that mature with the family.
Amy, a loving mother is deeply affected by this emotional void of losing her android child. She loses track of her own reality. Christopher, her husband, tries to comfort her but Amy’s intense craving pushes her to take in Sophie, a wandering, flesh and bone gutter kid. Amy keeps this hidden from her husband.
When Chris finds out, a violent clash follows, forcing Amy to choose between the synthetic child and her living husband.
Writer director Luc Walpoth is a Swiss filmmaker who lives between Bern, Turin, and Geneva. Turbulence Films, his production company, is based nearby. After his studies at EICAR in Paris, he shot, directed and/or produced commercials, documentaries, and short and feature films.
His previous short film, INVISIBLE TRAJECTORIES, premiered in international competition at the 33rd Festival du court-métrage de Clermont-Ferrand in 2011. Since then, the film has been selected in various international festivals, broadcasted in Europe and won six awards.
In 2014, Luc was selected at “Story Matter,” the first international Tribeca Hack where he developed the short film PETER’S BUBBLE, a prototype of peer-to-peer storytelling platform. He is also part of the “Torino Film Lab” in where he is currently adapting an Italian book.
REPLIKA premieres June 19 at 1:30pm. If you miss it, check for the “Best of Fest” showings at the end of the festival. See website psfilmfest.org
