I'm Your Man (Ich bin dein Mensch - 2021)

We loved this comedy about a researcher who reluctantly agrees to test an android that’s been programmed to be her life partner. In German with subtitles, it stars Maren Eggert and Dan Stevens as the robot who apparently speaks German with an "English accent." Sandra Hüller has a supporting role as the android maker's company representative. The comedy is restrained but quite successful.

Maria Schrader directs and co-wrote the script with Jan Schomberg, based on a 2019 short story, set in 2029, by Emma Braslavsky.

I've tried and failed to stream the excellent soundtrack by Tobias Wagner, other than this track on YouTube. For some of the tracks, he clearly uses an out of tune piano for creative dissonance, and on others, such as the one linked here, everything is perfectly pitched.

Stevens was last blogged for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, in which he played a Russian (he is British through and through, best known as the unattainable heartthrob in 34 episodes of Downton Abbey) and Hüller for Toni Erdmann.

Eggert has dozens of credits but is new to me. Schrader won a Prime Time Emmy for directing all four episodes of Unorthodox and has helmed four other features, as well as having a full acting career. Schomberg has written a handful of features and directed some of them, including one starring Hüller and scored by Wagner. The latter has a number of credits in shorts, features, and TV.

A New York Times critics pick, this movie has a 96% average from Rotten Tomatoes' critics and 85 from its audiences.

Submitted by Germany as its official Academy Award entry, this has begun accruing wins and nominations at festivals, and is now available to rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and possibly other platforms. We watched it on November 9.