Fearfully Made (19:00)
Dark Glass; IMDb; YouTube
This 2020 short film was presented by Dust in 2023.
Arthur and Maggie are an elderly couple who are happy to continue living in their seaside home, but their daughter Laura wants them to consider moving into a retirement home. When Maggie takes a fall, she ends up in a nursing home to recover, while Laura provides her father with an android caregiver named Aria, who is supposed to keep Arthur away from anything that might hurt him. One night while Arthur is sleeping, Aria answers a call from Laura, which she doesn't tell Arthur about. Later, Arthur wants to call Maggie, but Aria won't let him, and continues blocking calls from Laura.
I don't want to say how it ends, but I will say I found it entirely predictable. However, that did little to undercut the emotional impact of the film (which I considered putting under "drama" instead of "science fiction", despite the presence of an android and holographic video calls). It's a very well-made film in all respects, and I really cared about the characters.