electric dreams is a sci-fi romcom released in 1984, and is about a love triangle of a man, a man's hot neighbor, and the man's computer turnt sentient. it is also a lot less heterosexual than it sounds on paper, probably.
it starts off with the protagonist, miles harding, a socially aloof and awkward architect who really does just live like a sim, being suggested to and then buying a personal computer. he grows quickly accustomed to using it, and then madeline robistat moves in next door, which he's immedietly smitten by. and then he tries to download a bunch of information from his office, overheating his pinecone pc and using champhange to try and soothe that, which, because this movie was released in 1984 and people still thought technology could do anything, turned the computer sentient.
the movie has some pretty unique cino (kinoooo) as well, because the director, steve barron, only worked on music videos beforehand. the music from this movie also bangs. there's a reason why the ending song (together in electric dreams) is more well known than its own source.
this isn't apparent at first, however, but the first input that this newfound computer (who's name is only revealed at the end, and thus, is named edgar) gets other than miles' usual is overrhearing madeline practice the cello, and starting a beeping duet with it. madeline assumes the music is from miles, and the two grow closer, and the love triangle and everybody's inability to communicate emotions and edgar's growing jealousy over his inability to ever have his love truly regonized because of the innate state of being, well, edgar? it only gets worse, and thus, the movie better.
i first found out about electric dreams on the objectum/posic side of tumblr, and thus, i'd like to talk about why it was there in the first place, too, because this movie has a lot of themes of loving objects and objects loving back and all of that stuff to a theme that was surprisingly advanced in the idea of "object with sexuality" for the time. madeline treats her cello from her childhood as if it is her best friend in the world, and is later devastated when it gets destroyed in an elevator door. madeline generally has very...object sentience vibes. the cello is spoken off with the vibes. the way she does regonize the love of edgar at the end.
edgar is just...genuinely such a great example of yet another awesome sentient ai in media. lots of little introspections into the puter other than the basic gists that can be taken. a budding musician of a computer inspired by its crush. the search for a definition suitable for love edgar asks miles time and time again, and fails, because there...really is no definition to love, until madeline's music is brought up. and then he gets it. the way miles doesn't entirely get how to treat edgar leading to such a struggle, edgar's self entertainment at the cost of some things, annoying neighbots and troubling miles. the boredom of it all reaching climax. the jealousy growing, and that movie's goddamn climax.
it really all just comes together for a touching story for such a simple concept. i didn't expect much going in, but i came out with more than expected for sure. it's probably just because i'm the general audience, though?
anyways, since i'm very nice, here's a rehost of the entire movie on youtube for your own viewing pleasure if you wish to meet edgar yourself.
