SILEO (2022)

The search for meaning, and why we exist is a question that plagues most sentient things on the planet. Although we’d probably be better off merely surviving day to day there’s the curse of the conscious being that we have to know why. That’s basically the premise for “SILEO.” Three years in the making, director and animator Demeter Lorant has build a dystopian, cold world where everything and every facet of society is run by machines. The machines have evolved to such a point that even the older models are being rejuvenated bit by bit. When GEFF 325520-BD, a fixer unit robot, decides to halt production, he goes on a quest to figure out why he’s there.

The far future, a world only inhabited by artificial intelligence. GEFF 325520-BD, a fixer unit working in a factory starts worrying about his identity after being slowly replaced part by part while being repaired, sets out to find his creator and ask him some hard questions about his identity and his existence.

The implications toward this world are not pleasant as machines inhabit every nook and cranny while there’s the implication that all of humanity has all but perished. We can never be sure if the corporation SILEO is the cause of it, but it was likely very instrumental when all is said and done. GEFF 325520-BD’s goes on a small odyssey through this technological world (occasionally interrupted by trees) to seek out its creator and ask why. But it doesn’t really go as planned, as the robot learns that his creator is keenly aware of what’s occurring and doesn’t seem to have any empathy toward his fear of being replaced or destroyed.

It’s an insightful glare in to our search for a higher being that might have given up on us a long time ago. “SILEO” is an insightful short film filled with some stellar animation and killer sound design. It’s tough to conjure up such complex emotions when our protagonist is a machine without a face, but Mr. Lorant pulls it off swimmingly. “SILEO” is sure to evoke some interesting conversation from viewers. “SILEO” is currently doing its festival fun, but it most likely will be made widely available to watch online soon.