A Robot Will Not Solve Your Problems

The film "Be Right Back" depicts a technology that allows people to keep deceased loved ones "alive" through public Internet accounts. While this movie has an element of creepiness, the way in which people are "brought back" is viable in this day and age of progressive technology. With the gemenoid robots being created and improved on with every model, it is not hard to imagine a world where people would buy something to have their dead relatives be preserved in a sense. Before the film gets into the detailed robot production, the technology in general is focused upon. The original Ash is so preoccupied with his phone and social media that Martha always has to bother him to get off of it. He doesn't say much, but when he is off of social media, he shows his emotional side with a story from his childhood. The robot seems to express more emotion than the original Ash, but that is because he learns and conveys what the right thing to do is in every situation. This is also how humans learn to do things, but as Ash two learns more and more, there is also that realization that the real Ash will never return. Ash two is just the complied version of what the original was; the technology realizes that it is its own entity. The robot begins to realize that it can do things separated from its intended purpose and do other things, just like when he learns how to express emotion when Martha tells him to jump off of the cliff. The irony surrounding the new Ash and Martha is that technology ended up killing him and bringing him back to life. From the opening of the movie, the focus of Ash is that he is always on his phone, which ultimately foreshadows his death. He leaves his home with the intention of having his phone in hand as he drives. There is no direct indication that this kills him, but the emphasis on his addiction to his phone is what can be most likely assumed. When Martha sees the police coming to her door, she does what anyone would normally do, refuse that Ash is gone from her life. She seems to react ordinarily to his death in the beginning, but as time progresses and she is introduced to the technology, she can't move on in the grieving process. She has Ash there, so she doesn't have to deal with the fact that he is truly gone. The irony that Martha expresses is that she was the one who wanted him IRL and away from technology, but she pushes the limits as far as she can go to get him back. She gets the quintessential piece of technology that someone could have: a personal, reactive, and responsive robot. This technology is something that should not be implemented into today's society because it would only keep the grieving process from happening. The consequences outweigh the benefits. Having the comfort and security of a loved one would, initially,be great. However, a person could never move on in their lives or accept that people will die. This is something that has to happen to everyone and no one can cheat death.