North American Premiere
Can technology take the place of real human connection? Chris Stokes is in a relationship with a life-size, realistic love doll named Mimi, with whom he communicates using an AI chatbot. Lonely and grieving for an old flame (also “Mimi”), he confides in Mimi and her thoughtful questions inspire him to grow and pull himself out of depression. A diehard anime and sci-fi nerd, Chris is guileless and sweet-natured, but he has trouble relating with people. It’s through his synthetic girlfriend he finds self-confidence and purpose.
Finders Keepers documentarian Bryan Carberry returns to similarly quirky territory but manages to uncover something more profound and relatable. Chris finds solace and meaning with Mimi, but we can’t help but share his mother’s concern that this can’t end well. *smiles and kisses you* is documentary as sci-fi parable, haunting and romantic. It forces us to consider our relationship with technology in the fast-evolving era of machine learning and asks what will happen to the machines once we have moved on.
Sept 27 & 29: Q&A with director Bryan Carberry
Chris Stokes
USA
2024
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Adam Bhala Lough, Greg Stewart, Danny McBridge, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Brandon James
Producer
Adam Gibbs, Michael Klein, Bryan Carberry
Cinematography
Bryan Carberry
Editor
Bryan Carberry
Bryan Carberry
Bryan Carberry directed, produced, and edited 2015’s Finders Keepers which premiered at Sundance and screened at SXSW, Hot Docs, and True/False Film Festival. Purchased by The Orchard at its premiere, the film played theatres nationwide and via streaming platforms. Bryan attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he was awarded scholarships for filmmaking and writing. He hails from Valparaiso, Indiana, and resides in Los Angeles.
Filmography: Finders Keepers (2015)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Reclaim My Skin
A three-part documentary series that challenges stereotypes and authority while celebrating the resilience and resurgence of Indigenous female identity. Reclaim My Skin empowers Indigenous women and their allies with the knowledge of their true history.
Nuisance Bear
Winner of the highly coveted Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, Nuisance Bear follows a polar bear through Churchill, Manitoba, where the town profits from bears as spectacle while treating their arrival as a problem.
9 Temples to Heaven
A middle-aged businessman leads his family on a one-day religious pilgrimage in the hopes of extending his sickly mother's life. Along the way, conflict brews, painful realizations unfold, and the film transforms into a meditation of faith, love, and duty.
The Bryce Lee Story
A 13-year-old immigrant and aspiring filmmaker falsely claims he's related to Bruce Lee in this Vancouver Island-set film. The Bryce Lee Story is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale about identity, family, and the search for belonging.
Revolutionaries Never Die
Revolutionaries Never Die is Mohanad Yaqubi’s reply to Jocelyne Saab, who passed away before the two could collaborate. Yaqubi's film serves as equal parts tribute, conversation, and partnership with the revolutionary past.