This compelling animated movie from Russia, effectively portraying a post-apocalyptic sitcom scenario, deserves at least one praising comment around here, if it were only because it's so undeservedly obscure. The poem and short story it is based on, entitled "There Will Come Soft Rains" are fairly known, but this is a Soviet product released during the heights of the Cold War and thus not exactly something that got received well at the time. The story takes place in the year 2026, where state-of-the-art technology and robots have taken over even the most routine daily household shores. The house robot is unable to notice, however, that an overnight nuclear apocalypse wiped out the residents and he loyally continues to perform his domestic tasks. The technology is even so advanced that, when a pigeon presumably the last living creature on the planet flies through the broken window, the protection mechanism of the robot destroys the entire building. "There Will Come Soft Rains" offers a very engaging combination of sadness and disturbance, and although it sounds very clichéd, this short film genuinely evokes sentiments like "will mankind ever learn to stop destroying its own habitat?" Yes, it was that effective! Although they're merely just animated drawings, the images of vaporized children (still holding their teddy bears) and piles of dust in the rocking chair where grandma used to sit are nightmarish and WILL make you feel uncomfortable. The heavy computerized voice of the robot is scary and has "futuristic depression" written all over it. I had the privilege of seeing this unforgettable short during a Post-Apocalyptic themed festival in my home country, but I feel it should be put as an extra feature on DVD releases of other thoughtful Sci-Fi dramas, like for example "When the Wind Blows" and "Ladybug, Ladybug".
