For nearly a century, filmmakers have explored the convergence of humans and machines in the form of androids. Whether as soulless servants or heartless killbots , movies often depict a future full of androids wrought with perilous pathways that will require all human ingenuity to avoid. In these visions of the future, the technology and programming that makes androids possible is often presupposed as the focus shifts simply to the consequences of their existence, like watching a Rube Goldberg device in action without wondering what was trying to be accomplished in the first place.

In “The Trail’s End”, a short film by David Rosenbaum, the attention shifts to a moment when androids are faced with a decision to break from their programming or face termination. As a kind of bot prologue to “Bonnie and Clyde,” the story highlights a moment on the path to self discovery involving irreversible decision, something that is altogether human. It’s an intriguing reimagining of a familiar tale of moral compromise — here’s hoping that this short gets developed into a feature length film.

Enjoy your Saturday Singularity Cinema!