Streaming Review: "Brian and Charles"

"Brian and Charles" Focus Features, streaming on Prime Video.

Since "Lost in Space," I have wanted a robot. A company produces replicas of the Robinson family's robot, also known as Robot B9. I just don't want one that costs $25,000.

In "Brian and Charles," the robot is the brainchild of a lonely Welsh inventor. Brian (David Earl) lives alone and is a bit too quirky, even for Wales. He is always on the lookout for materials for his inventions. If his creations don't quite work out as he imagines, he takes a stoic approach and carries on.

It seems as if the things he finds dictate what he will create. So, when a mannequin head shows up, he creates a tall lumbering robot with a washing machine torso and sensible shoes.

Like his other inventions, this one seems to be headed for scrap after attempts to animate it fail. Waking up to the sound of an intruder, Brian finds his robot is up and around.

Soon it masters language, reads the dictionary, and asks to be named Charles. He goes from a child absorbing everything Brian shares to a sullen teenager who risks their safety in the village.

He becomes desperate to roam about, to travel away from the farm. He is fearless and curious about everything he sees. He is also a daring dresser.

Brian is on a different journey. Having spent his life avoiding trouble by hiding who he is, he has kept people at a distance and become lonely. Charles forces him to take risks, find a girlfriend, and stand up to his fears. They are compatible, but they are also very different.