Jestem REN

I Am REN is an intentionally ambiguous balancing act between a family psycho-drama and a sad sci-fi flick about a cast-off android that feels like a human and is thus confused (original!). And it’s up to the viewer to judge whether the movie is directorially sophisticated or, conversely, just as confused as the protagonist. We spend the whole film wondering if the main character is a malfunctioning paranoid android that must be disposed of by its owners, or if she is just a poor, unfortunate mother and wife with a newly diagnosed mental disorder. This riddle was the most enjoyable part of the film for me, but it’s hard to say if that was actually the filmmakers’ intention. At any rate, I would have given it a third star for the satisfying ending that answers the question of “what’s the matter with the main character”, but the would-be creative games with sound won’t let me do that. I’m still not sure if the film wasn’t incorrectly digitalised in the soundtrack. If that was also intentional and it’s another game played with the viewer, I’ll rather give the film three stars. [3Kino Fest] (15.11.2020)