I'm Your Man - What We Know So Far
Did you know Dan Stevens speaks German? (The erudite English gentleman also speaks French, according to Town & Country, if you were curious). That's one of the most attention-grabbing details — but not the only one! — about the upcoming sci-fi dramedy "I'm Your Man." Stevens' aptitude for speaking Deutsch was revealed in the trailer for "I'm Your Man," which arrived in late August (via Collider). The preview kicks off with Stevens' introduction to the movie, first in German and then in English, to give audiences everywhere a better sense of his new project.
The Stevens-centric trailer likely alerted U.S. viewers for the first time of the movie's existence. Per Variety, the German film "I'm Your Man" premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in March. There, it competed for the Golden Bear, the prestigious festival's top prize, but ultimately lost to the Romanian film "Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn." Despite this loss, star Maren Eggert managed to take home the Silver Bear for leading performance. "I'm Your Man" is based on a short story by Emma Braslavsky called "Ich bin dein Mensch." It is directed by "Unorthodox" helmer Maria Schrader, who also co-wrote the script with Jan Schomburg (via IMDb).
Here's what we know so far about this delightful dramedy, including the release date, cast, and plot.
What is I'm Your Man's release date?
As revealed in the trailer, "I'm Your Man" (which seems unrelated to the Leonard Cohen song of the same name) will hit theaters on Friday, September 24. According to Variety, the movie was acquired by indie film distributor Bleecker Street in March. It will receive a video on demand release following its theatrical debut. Variety's report includes a statement from Schrader on the acquisition. It reads, "This was a labor of love for all involved, and we are excited American audiences will get to discover these characters we fell in love with while making the film, so brilliantly embodied by Maren Eggert and Dan Stevens."
"I'm Your Man" has earned very positive reviews from critics and secured a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Empire magazine describes the German movie as "science-fiction with soul and a romance written for adults," and goes on to say, "This tender film is attractive, smart, and cunningly designed to win your heart."
Who is in the cast of I'm Your Man?
The cast of "I'm Your Man" is led by Maren Eggert, a German actress who has appeared in the films "Marseille" and "The Experiment," as well as the long-running police procedural series "Tatort" (via IMDb). In "I'm Your Man," she plays Alma, an academic who participates in an experimental study that brings a charming robot named Tom into her life.
Tom is played by Dan Stevens, who is known for a number of notable performances. This includes his star-making turn as Matthew Crawley on "Downton Abbey," the Beast in Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" remake, super-anti-hero David Haller on the mind-bending FX series "Legion," and scene-stealing Russian Eurovision singer Alexander Lemtov in "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga."
Per the "I'm Your Man" IMDb page, the supporting cast also features Sandra Hüller as a mischievous employee of the company that manufactured Tom. Hüller is best known for starring in "Toni Erdmann," which is probably the most internationally renowned German comedy film ever made, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017 (via Variety).
What's the plot of I'm Your Man?
"I'm Your Man" is a romantic sci-fi film with dramatic and comedic elements that asks big questions about artificial intelligence and the definition of love. The official synopsis from Bleecker Street reads: "Alma (Maren Eggert) is a scientist coerced into participating in an extraordinary study in order to obtain research funds for her work. For three weeks, she must live with a humanoid robot tailored to her character and needs, whose artificial intelligence is designed to be the perfect life partner for her. Enter Tom (Dan Stevens), a machine in human form created solely to make her happy."
The trailer elaborates on the premise teased by Bleecker Street (via YouTube). Tom is the perfect man for Alma, physically, sexually, emotionally, and in every other way imaginable. But Alma is very resistant to the idea because of the demanding nature of her work and, well, she just isn't the kind of person who thinks they can fall in love with a robot. Then again, the robot looks like Dan Stevens, so it's fair to say Alma won't be able to resist for too long.