LUKi & the Lights Review

LUKi & the Lights, dir. Toby Cochran

16th of March

LUKi wakes up to a beautiful spring morning. Birds chirping outside the window of their lovely countryside cabin. They spring out of bed to grab a quick outdoor shower before breakfast and morning coffee, then a quick session with their hobby of painting figurines until there’s a knock on the door.

It is of course their best friend Theo! They greet each other the way they always do with their special handshake but something feels a bit off in LUKi’s hand. Shaking it off as nothing, they grab their bikes to cycle to work. LUKi is a 3D modeler working on a new design for a dragon. Printing out the designs and seeing them come to life clearly aligns well with their other interests and it feels like the perfect job for LUKi. Yet there it is again, that unpleasant sting in the hand as it doesn’t quite work as expected. 

Concerned but still ignoring the pain, LUKi shoots off to the soccer field to play a game with Theo and their friend Neefa. Neefa goes on the offense and dashes past Theo, only to get denied by a miraculous save from LUKi! But Neefa does not give up that easily, going to attack once again. As the shot comes, LUKi goes for a second save but the pain suddenly shoots back, this time affecting the whole arm. The friends both notice something is off and with a concerned look they approach LUKi who is still adamant that there is no cause for concern.

12th of May

As LUKi’s hand reaches over to turn off the alarm, struggling to use it to hit the snooze button, it is clear that things have gotten worse. Back at work but sitting alone in the dark this time, looking up potential remedies online, nothing seems to help. Suddenly the lights turn on. It’s Theo and Neefa who are back for another game of soccer. Their excitement quickly dwindles as they notice the state of LUKi’s arm. This time there is no denying it.

Theo takes LUKi to the doctor to take a look. They do everything from a full physical to an MRI scan to find the cause. After hours of waiting for the results with Theo patiently standing by, the doctor finally comes back.

There it is, black on white, ALS. No cure, certain to spread over time. Losing movement, speech and eventually breathing. LUKi is devastated as Theo does their best to consolidate them. A swirl of emotions ensues, going from denial to sorrow to anger to finally arrive at some level of acceptance and understanding.

11th of July

The tempo shifts to upbeat music. Out of bed and determined not to give up on life, LUKi goes to work. Starting to build and taking the old bike apart, a new beginning and a next chapter.

26th of August

Time passes, still working away.

5th of September

It is finally done! Months later and still with enough mobility to finish, LUKi has built a home made wheelchair. Proud of this accomplishment and with some new found wind in the sails, they rush off to once again answer Theo at the door. Optimism is in the air but it doesn’t last long, as LUKi suddenly falls to the ground. The movement in one foot and lower leg is gone. Just as it stands finished, it’s time to use the wheelchair. 

As the days tick on and the final chapters unfold, regardless of prior experience with ALS, I feel confident in saying that this short will bring forth an emotional level of understanding for those who watch it. The fact that this much detail and emotion is worked into a short spanning just eleven minutes is impressive enough as it is. But LUKi & The Lights creator Toby Cochran does so without dialogue, using animated anthropomorphised robots as his vehicle to get there and somehow makes it seem easy - because wow is this tough to watch!

LUKi & the Lights is sure to tug at your heartstring as this robot perseveres through the darkest moments and shines his light bright. Thoughts and feelings are cleverly conveyed through facial expressions, body language and slight changes in the soundtrack. Seasonal changes and lighting align with the rapidly worsening disease and LUKi’s emotions throughout, showing the circle of life as it slowly moves on. This goes beyond dialogue, to an understating which is deeply human, even in a world without humans.

Award-winning producer Adrian Ochoa known for credits such as Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and Wall-E worked on the project, along with co-produced with Global Neuro YCare. The story is inspired by the true story of Sascha Groen and her husband Anjo Snijders who was diagnosed with ALS. In search of a way to explain the disease to their children, they conceptualized the story which became the basis of this short. Together they hope to better the understanding of and coping with the disease for other ALS patients and loved ones alike.

Review by: Robin Hellgren