I’m Your Man (Germany) (15/24)

Would you have sex with a robot version of Dan Stevens? Because that is the central question of last year’s German Oscar submission. The Downton Abbey star gives a mesmerizing performance as a robot designed to be the perfect companion for the film’s protagonist, Alma (Maren Eggert). Playing a character that is clearly not a human but still manages to be human enough for Maren (and the audience) to fall in love with him is a tall order, but Stevens does it with his placid smile and speedy math calculations. This was one of my favorite films of last year, something that felt wholly original and incredibly heartwarming at the same time. It’s laugh out loud funny at points, desperately heartbreaking at others, and gives us an incredible final scene. This is a crowdpleaser from start to finish.