Hugo and the Broken Automaton

Mechanisms like robots and automatons break and people have to fix them. They are meticulous with complex mechanisms and when they break, can be very difficult to fix. The movie Hugo explores these ideas and relates the themes to the humans that are in the movies. Similar to the automaton in the movie which needs to be fixed, the human relationships are broken in the movie and also need to be fixed. And instead of relying on things like automatons for fixing brokenness similar to what hugo does, people need to rely on each other and the community to fix the brokenness.

Mechanisms like robots and automatons break and people have to fix them. They are meticulous with complex mechanisms and when they break, can be very difficult to fix. The movie Hugo explores these ideas and relates the themes to the humans that are in the movies. Similar to the automaton in the movie which needs to be fixed, the human relationships are broken in the movie and also need to be fixed. And instead of relying on things like automatons for fixing brokenness similar to what hugo does, people need to rely on each other and community to fix the brokenness.

Throughout hugos journey in the movie of fixing the broken automaton, he also fixes several of the broken relationships of the characters including his own. As someone who lost his father at a young age, hugo was left alone with his drunken uncle. He was taught to work the clocks at a train station and thus became very mechanically inclined like his father. Hugo seeks to fix the robot automaton his father left him in order to try to fix what he lost with his family. He is missing a key figure in his life and ponders “If [he] could fix it, [he] wouldn't be so alone” - Hugo. Hugo puts his hope of fixing his loneliness solely on the automaton. He relies on it to bring him that thing he is missing. As soon as the automaton appears to not work, he becomes angry and confused. Hugo gives us the opportunity to learn not to rely on earthly objects for satisfaction and a cure for loneliness. Instead, Hugo gives insight into how we should deal with these issues. 

Right after hugo leaves the automaton, he realizes that he has a new family. This realization in the form of an adventure is a crucial turning point to Hugo's story arc. Through a new found connection with a retired magician film maker, the two fix each other's brokenness and become whole. Even when Hugo did fix the automaton, this shared connection of mechanics and magic is not something that could be replicated with a robot. Hugo is a story about not relying on other things to fulfill your needs but to instead turn to people and community. It shows us that new technologies like social media and cell phones can’t replace face to face relationships. 

The automaton never wanted hugo to use itself for fixing the brokenness of his dead father. In the last scene of the movie, the camera pans to the automaton where it looks like the robots mouth turns into a smile. The robot seems satisfied that hugo did not choose it for satisfaction but instead chose the community of his new family. Hugo discovered that what he was looking for was not found in technology but elsewhere in his new family.