‘Love Me’ Review – An Unconventional Love Story With Imagination, But No Spark

What does it mean to be in love? This is a provocative question, as provocative as what does it mean to be human? These are the questions we face in the film Love Me. It is an unconventional love story that tries to answer these questions cleverly. A satellite and a buoy try to discover life’s meaning despite their relationship’s impractical nature. While there is an intriguing premise, the film fails to launch. The lead performances of Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun are compelling, but the premise stretches so far, leading to what feels more like an exhausting exercise than an exploration of love.

Set thousands of years after civilization ends on Earth, a smart buoy (Kristen Stewart) floats in the ocean. At the same time, a satellite (Steven Yeun) circles the Earth, acting as a beacon to provide information to any possible life forms. When the buoy connects with the satellite, he gives a virtual history of Earth, adding information on what it means to be a lifeform. As the buoy is not a lifeform, she proceeds to digest all the information she can about life on Earth. In the process, she discovers the social media of an influencer couple, Deja and Liam. After naming herself Me and giving the satellite the name Iam, they embody Deja and Liam’s personalities. These influencers become unofficial avatars, and these two nonhuman entities discover what it means to be human.

This concept of two nonentities striking a very human relationship is compelling, and the movie does a commanding job of showing the actual couple (also played by Stewart and Yeun) in their lives. Iam and Me embody the social media lives of a dead couple, leading to some comical situations. The film becomes a journey as they navigate their unique dynamic while striving to create something of humanity. Sadly, the narrative only stretches so far. Oddly enough, the film loses its stride once we are introduced to the digital avatars Iam and Me.

The film sometimes plays like an extended short movie. It goes through the motions and uses comical beats to extend the runtime. Dating, marriage, day-in-the-life; the film weaves in rom-com trappings while trying to speak to something larger and more esoteric. We are meant to care about two nonentities but spend time watching their digital persona go through a love story and human exploration. Stewart and Yeun add dynamism to this shaky story; their performances are marvelous. Be through voice-over or when we have flashbacks to the actual social media, they are the film’s strongest points.

At the core, Love Me attempts to navigate the constructs humanity imposes on itself. In many ways, several themes and storylines work in tandem. The problem with the myriad of narratives is that they leave us feeling like soulless AI. I think back to Spike Jonze’s Her, another unconventional love story about a man falling in love with his operating system. At times, this is what Love Me strives for with its premise of two nonentities falling in love. The problem here, though, is not the performance, as they at least elevate the material. The problem is the film’s lacking curiosity beyond anything surface level.

Her manages to speak to a basic humanity and the need for love and connection, and leaves us both heartbroken and optimistic. Love Me attempts to forge that same connection but leaves us empty and alone like the satellite circling the Earth and the buoy drifting in the ocean. The film has definite imagination and curiosity, but it falls short of sparking a genuine connection. 

Love Me will debut exclusively in theaters on January 31, 2025, courtesy of Bleecker Street.