SNAPSHOT
In the film, a man, a robot, and a dog form an unlikely family in a powerful and moving adventure of one man’s quest to ensure that his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he’s gone. Hanks stars as Finch, a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. But Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can. As the trio embarks on a perilous journey into a desolate American West, Finch strives to show his creation, who names himself Jeff, the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive. Their road trip is paved with both challenges and humor, as it’s as difficult for Finch to goad Jeff and Goodyear to get along as it is for him to manage the dangers of the new world. (official synopsis via Coming Soon)
We are, and sadly for good reason, rather preoccupied with an end of the world vibe at the moment.
The pandemic is the main culprit but then there’s climate change and the rise of right wing nationalism and … and … and … all of which cumulatively may not be creating the kind of environment in which we want to see the world by yet another means.
What makes many of these apocalyptic shows appealing though, quote apart from the visceral thrill of seeing someone go through something far worse than even what we’re experiencing, is the abiding sense of hope they convey.
You wouldn’t think there’d be a whole lot of that left after a solar flare has left the Earth a scorched, storm-ravaged hellhole and yet in Finch, “executive produced by Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman, Adam Merims, and Jeb Brody” (as per Coming Soon), it’s still there in the form of our eponymous hero, his dog and a robot he creates called, rather endearingly, Jeff.
Will robots and dogs inherit the Earth? Quite possibly but they’ll do so because people like Finch still give a damn , at the end of the world.
Finch premieres on Apple TV+ on 5 November.