
They try but somehow the love story just won’t tell itself in a way that makes any sense:
It may sound rational to conjecture that love is merely an emergent property of consciousness that has matured throughout the course of human evolution. But emergence is no less of a “god of the gaps” belief than Zeus’s lighting or Thor’s thunder. Zoe is a great film but it presents a storyline often used to show how inexplicable and ineffable love is in order to get me to believe that it isn’t.
For example, the underlying dogma assumes reductionism (everything is material). Thus, the question addressed isn’t the obvious one, “Can a synthetic love a human?”; it is “Can a human love a synthetic?” The assumption, in other words, is that Zoe can definitely love. It is presented without explanation as if no explanation is needed. The story question is whether Cole can love her back.
Fortunately, the film stays with the story; it does not turn into a manifesto for AI rights. For that reason, I’ll give Zoe a 5/10 on the dogma scale.
Overall: Underlying assumptions aside, it’s a great film with good acting and believable dialogue. Adam Nieri, “A Mind Matters Review: Zoe (2018), an Android’s Love Story” at Mind Matters
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Also by Adam Nieri: A Mind Matters Review: Travelers” Portrays AI As A Benevolent God
and
Alita: Battle Angel (2019): A Mind Matters Review If you love anime and felt betrayed by the flop of Ghost, I would highly recommend Alita