With “on the spectrum” (or autism spectrum disorder) being a hot term, and the phenomenon of robotic seductresses a viral topic (this film’s October 2023 release followed that of AIMEE: THE VISITOR, featuring the cinema’s premiere AI character, by mere weeks), the indie dramedy BOY MAKES GIRL is nothing if not timely. It can be said to mark the next major evolution of a concept that prior to 2023 was best represented by 2013’s HER (excellent film, but reality has long since caught up with it).
Actors playing autistic persons can be obnoxious (see Hugh Dancy in ADAM and Eddie Redmayne in THE GOOD DOCTOR), but BOY MAKES GIRL’s writer, co-director and star Mark Elias (of THE ADVENTURES OF LEWIS AND CLARK) gets a pass because he actually IS on the autism spectrum. He plays Aaron Barnes, a Los Angeles based computer programmer whose autistic tendencies are manifested in debilitating social awkwardness. He’s “seeking a companion for life,” but not having much luck; he carries on lengthy conversations with a teddy bear, speaks in emojis and readily admits to being employed by the NRA, which don’t exactly endear him to prospective girlfriends. Aaron’s only companionship, aside from a kind-hearted waitress named Geneva (Saundra McClain), is with Ben (Paul Dooley), a crusty codger Aaron is tasked with looking after following the death of his nurse mother.
In desperation Aaron creates a robotic woman he names Emma (Meeghan Holaway). She initially behaves much like him, but before long begins displaying emotion and independence. She does things Aaron doesn’t like, and figures out how to override the shutdown function installed by her creator–she has, in short, moved completely out of his sphere of control, leaving Aaron with two choices: he can chase after her or learn to better interact with the non-robotic people around him.
The filmmaking by Elias and co-director Mark David (AMERICAN COWSLIP) strikes a nice balance between romantic whimsey and harsh reality. The script is quite frank about the problems faced by autistic people (with Aaron mistaken for a child molester and a rapist in the course of the film), and has a good feel for telling drama—as in an encounter between Aaron and Ben that begins in a confrontational manner, with Aaron needling Ben about his attentions to Emma, but morphs into a quirky bonding session between two lost souls.
In the lead role Elias provides a strong, complicated anchor, while Meghan Holaway offers an interpretation that’s refreshingly divergent from modern cinema’s standard depiction of robot women (meaning she doesn’t look or sound anything like Scarlett Johansson). The details of her construction are left frustratingly vague (and seem impossibly easy), but her depiction is otherwise quite convincing, and the film overall a likeable and unpretentious one that concludes on a pitch-perfect note of personal empowerment. Not to give anything away, but in BOY MAKES GIRL love, particularly of the robotic variety, does not conquer all.
Vital Statistics
BOY MAKES GIRL
DFM Creative
Directors: Mark Elias, Mark David
Producers: Lee West, Mark Elias, Jasmine Fontes
Screenplay: Mark Elias
Cinematography: Mark David
Editing: Clinton Steeds
Cast: Mark Elias, Paul Dooley, Meghan Holaway, John Billingsley, Megan West, Stefanie Estes, Saundra McClain, Kate Adler, Sean O’Bryan, Michael Patrick McGill, John Lacy, Jeffrey Marshall, Patricia Mizen, Cynthia D. Hilaire, Jasmine Fontes, Bruce Van Norman, Shakira Ja’Nai Payne, Renato Schletti