The Trouble with Being Born (2020) on Netflix

NR20201h 34mDrama Mystery Sci-Fi

Elli is an android who calls Georg Papa and shares his house deep in the woods. Georg has filled her with memories of his daughter, who disappeared a decade ago.

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Netflix3.7/5
IMDb5.4/101,583 votes
Rotten Tomatoes92%

Trailer

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Plot summary

Georg and an android named Elli share a house in a secluded stretch of woods. Elli resembles a girl of about ten, and she calls Georg Papa. She was made to look like his daughter, who went missing ten years before, and carries memories drawn from his life with the child. Elli can repeat those recollections, but they mean nothing to her; only Georg treasures them. The two swim in the pool during the day and spend their evenings together, and a sexual element in their relationship is implied. One night Elli walks out of the house and into the woods, following a fading echo.

Cast

Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Trouble with Being Born (2020)

Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.

Sandra Wollner first intended to cast a 20-year-old as the android Elli, but after cutting the more explicit elements from the script she chose 10-year-old actress Lena Watson, whose stage name was inspired by Emma Watson.
The shots in which the android appears nude were created with computer-generated imagery, and 10-year-old Lena Watson wore a silicone mask and wig to hide her identity and make her resemble another actress who appears later in the film.
The Melbourne International Film Festival dropped the film from its 2020 line-up after two forensic psychologists warned it might normalise sexual interest in children and be used as arousal material by men interested in child abuse material.
Several audience members walked out during the film's world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020, where it screened in the festival's Encounters section.