I’m Your Man is actress/director Maria Schrader’s third feature film. She has also had a successful career in TV; she starred in the miniseries Deutschland 83 and its sequels, and recently won an Emmy for her direction of the highly-acclaimed Netflix limited series Unorthodox. Adapted from a short story by Emma Braslavsky, I’m Your Man blends AI and romance to create an immensely likeable ‘boy meets girl’ film with a twist, which turns films such as Stepford Wives on its head.
Set in Berlin in the near future, it features excellent lead performances from Marin Eggert as Alma, playing a scientist at Berlin’s Pergamon Museum, and Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens as the humanoid robot she road-tests as a partner (Schrader wanted the robot to speak excellent German but in a slightly foreign accent). Stevens worked hard to produce the technical German required – this is his first German film cast in a lead role – and prepared for the role of the AI charmer by watching Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart screwball comedies. Distinguished German actor Sandra Huller (pictured above), star of the international hit comedy Toni Erdmann, makes the most of her supporting role.
“A science-fiction with soul and a romance written for adults. Just like its mechanical hero, this tender film is attractive, smart and cunningly designed to win your heart.” Pamela Hutchinson, Empire
“Directed with empathy and precision, it’s a witty and moving look at human relationships. … there is more going on beneath that manicured, charming façade than you might think at first glance.” Catherine Bray, Film of the Week