Charity SSVP's Creepy Robot Proves There's Nothing Like the Human Touch

With the development of technology, robotics and social media, you might think that the population has never been more connected and that loneliness was a thing of the past. Yet it keeps growing and now affects 5 million individuals in France alone, i.e. 1 person in 8.

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP), a local charity network that has been fighting isolation since 1833, launched a national campaign on Saint Vincent de Paul’s day. For the occasion it is releasing a short film called B.E.N. (Bionically Engineered Nursing) that features a woman on her own, sharing her daily life with a robot companion.

With the film, SSVP wants to challenge public opinion and attract voluntary commitments. For 63% of French people, individual engagement is the primary lever against isolation. In parallel, SSCP raises the question of the place of technology at the expense of human contact in the fight against loneliness.

To put this message across in the media, SSVP brought in CLM BBDO to make a short film, produced by La Pac and directed by David Wilson. Disseminated on social media then in cinemas, B.E.N. introduces us to Claudine, an elderly lady who spends her time with B.E.N., a companion robot.

At first we’re surprised to see how easily B.E.N. carries out its tasks. Claudine must feel less alone since she acquired the robot. But the robot’s imprecise, mechanical behaviour gradually betrays its social limits. The surprising complicity we thought we saw gives way to the absurdity of this man-machine relationship, leaving the spectator to ponder the legitimacy of technology in the fight against social isolation.