M3GAN and a lonely child: M3GAN (2022) on child neglect and avoiding one’s caregiving responsibilities
“She’ll take care of the little things, so you can spend more time doing the things that matter.”
Note: spoilers ahead! There are in-depth spoilers for the entire film throughout.
M3GAN, directed by Gerald Johnstone and written by Akela Cooper, is a great little horror film — it’s funny, it’s freaky, it’s well-paced, and obviously M3gan herself is a really great character who’s already had a lot of impact in memes and pop culture.
Cady (Violet McGraw), a quiet and self-effacing little girl, is orphaned when her parents are killed in a car accident, after which she’s sent to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams). Her aunt, a workaholic engineer at a famous toy company, pairs Cady up with the newest toy in development — M3GAN, standing for Model 3 Generative Android, a life-sized human doll that uses AI learning models to engage with, teach, care for, and otherwise be a companion to the children she’s paired with. M3GAN (played by Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) spends time with Cady while Gemma focuses for the majority of the film on her work, not realising that she’s neglecting Cady’s emotional needs or that M3gan’s learning model is more dangerous…
