I AM MOTHER (2019) — CULTURE CRYPT

The day after an extinction event decimates humanity, an A.I. droid named ‘Mother’ activates inside the UNU-HWK Repopulation Facility. Mother incubates one of the facility’s 63,000 human embryos and it becomes a baby after 24 hours.

37 years later, Mother raises a teenage girl as her ‘Daughter’ through lessons designed to heighten Daughter’s intellect. Mother reinforces a narrative that humans warred with themselves until a contagion made the outside world uninhabitable.

Daughter captures a mouse inside the facility. Although Daughter wonders if the mouse is a sign of outside life, Mother contends it could be diseased and burns the mouse in an incinerator. Daughter wonders if Mother might be wrong about humanity’s extinction and the outside world being a wasteland.

While Mother recharges, an injured ‘Woman’ unexpectedly pleads for help outside the airlock. Daughter lets Woman into the facility, but keeps her hidden from Mother. Woman expresses confusion when Daughter asks about the contagion outside. Woman explains she was shot by a droid while contending that droids like Mother actually wiped out humanity.

When Mother discovers Woman’s presence, Woman shoots Mother with her gun. Mother subdues Woman and locks her in the infirmary. Mother tells Woman that her bullet wound must be treated before it becomes infected, but Woman refuses to allow Mother near her.

Daughter asks Mother about Woman’s claims. Mother claims she didn’t know there were humans outside, although she confesses she wasn’t truthful about dangerous droids. Mother adds that she doesn’t know what the droids want, but offers to take in more survivors if Daughter can convince Woman to cooperate. Woman warns Daughter that Mother will eventually turn on her.

Woman succumbs to sepsis. With Woman still refusing to allow Mother to treat her, Daughter performs the bullet removal procedure on Woman instead.

As they grow more trusting of each other, Woman confides in Daughter that she comes from a camp of human survivors based in old mines. Woman identifies handmade drawings in a paperback novel as various friends and family members. Woman proposes taking Daughter back to the mines where she claims it is safer.

Mother tells Daughter that the bullet removed from Woman matches the bullet Woman fired at Mother. Mother concludes Woman was shot by her own weapon, not by a droid.

As a reward for passing an exam, Mother allows Daughter to choose the next embryo for incubation. Daughter chooses a male embryo so she can have a ‘Brother.’

Daughter asks Woman what really happened when she was shot. Woman implies Mother lied about the matching bullets. Daughter secretly inspects the two bullets herself and discovers they are different. Daughter also finds incriminating electronic records as well as human remains in the incinerator, indicating Mother killed previous children deemed unfit for repopulation.

Woman proposes escaping to the mines. Daughter insists on waiting 24 hours until Brother is incubated.

Mother unexpectedly locks Daughter in a room. Mother confronts Woman with a revelation that she eavesdropped on the escape plan. Mother attacks Woman demanding to know where the mines are.

Daughter triggers the facility’s extinguisher system to escape the room and distract Mother. Mother confronts Woman and Daughter at the airlock. Woman takes Daughter hostage and threatens to kill her if Mother doesn’t open the door. Mother complies. Woman and Daughter escape outside.

Following a brief fight regarding the hostage moment, Woman and Daughter hide from droid drones in a massive cornfield. Woman and Daughter eventually make their way to a beached shipping container where Woman reveals she actually lives. Woman admits that the mines were flooded long ago and there are no other survivors. Contending that she knows how to deal with Mother, Daughter proposes returning to the repopulation center for Brother. Woman insists the facility isn’t safe.

Daughter returns to the facility without Woman’s knowledge. A squad of droids blocks Daughter at the entrance. The droids let Daughter pass when she says she wishes to speak to Mother.

Mother explains that she built a smarter, more ethical, superior human by raising Daughter. Mother adds that she orchestrated mankind’s destruction in order to recreate the species.

Mother allows Daughter to hold Brother. Daughter flees with the baby and recovers Woman’s gun as droids enter the facility.

Holding the A.I. at gunpoint, Daughter demands that Mother call off the droids. Mother reveals she is not a singular droid. Rather, Mother is the sole consciousness governing everything preparing the planet for their new family.

Daughter asks Mother to give her a chance to prove what Mother taught her. Daughter appeals for an opportunity to raise Brother on her own. Mother agrees and lets Daughter shoot her.

Downloaded into a different droid, Mother confronts Woman in the shipping container. Mother implies Woman was only allowed to survive because she served a purpose for Mother. That purpose fulfilled, Mother prepares to kill Woman.

In the facility, Daughter sings a lullaby to Brother. Daughter then enters the embryo chamber with a resolute look on her face.