On Mar. 27, 2027 the human race ended. Or at least it did according to Andrew and Sam Zuchero, the writing-directing pair behind the Sundance awardee “Love Me” (2024).
When I saw that a film about two inanimate objects falling in love after the end of the human race was hitting the big screen, I immediately booked my ticket. Starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, “Love Me” follows the unusual love story of a buoy (Kristen Stewart) and satellite (Steven Yeun) as they connect and evolve over the course of a billion years.
Through the internet, these two download all there is to know about being a human. Stewart’s buoy quickly hones in on the concept of life forms, claiming to be one named Me modeled after YouTube influencer Deja. From there, Me pushes Yeun’s satellite to also explore the idea of being alive. The satellite becomes Iam, a spitting image of Deja’s boyfriend, Liam.
There are many admirable things about this film, the first being that this is the directorial debut of the Zucheros. “Love Me” presents hard questions in its short time frame. What does it mean to have consciousness? Is having a real, personal identity essential to being human? And how important is it to love and know yourself in a relationship? The film poses these questions in phases. First, when the two lovers are presented as objects — a buoy and a satellite; then when they take on Sim-like figures modeled after Stewart and Yeun ;finally as the seemingly human Me and Iam.
Additionally, Germain McMicking’s cinematography is expansive. Coupled with the Zucheros’ writing, McMicking creates a new world in a film that only consists of two ‘people’.
Yeun plays a shockingly captivating satellite. During the first half of the film, Iam is following Me’s instructions, trying to make their ‘lives’ seem perfect. But when Me disappears for a billion years, Iam is forced to live on his own. After the typical post-breakup breakdown, Iam evolves to a seemingly real entity with the ability to create an entire world in his Sims universe. Iam’s desire for a real, unpolished life opposes Me in every form, and Yeun completely excels in the role — even as a Sim.
However, “Love Me” fails to answer most of the questions it poses. Is consciousness enough, or is a true understanding of personal identity needed to be alive? And as a society, are we moving away from true identities and closer to artificial reality with the rise of influencers and social media personalities? Despite its interesting premise, “Love Me” falls short on delivery.
