I want to be real for you
In an attempt to be real, K and Joi engage in a tryst with Mariette, a pleasure model. Although brief, it is a mesmerizing scene, deep with meaning.
On one level the scene is beautiful:
For Joi – Her wish: “I want to be real for you” indicates a desire created of her own free will. This is not programming she is designed to follow. Rather, it is an attempt at achieving her true purpose – breaking free from the bonds of simulation and living as a real person. The key point here is what she perceives as being real – “for you” – her true existence is validated by being a part of K’s life – living for another. From her perspective, it’s magical, spellbinding, and the peak of human experience.
On another level, it’s monotonous:
For Mariette, a pleasure model, she is simply acting out her programming. She is designed to pleasure “Johns”, and, with the ulterior motive of placing a tracker on K, she is doing it under orders. For Mariette then, the act is something between a command and a routine, and is no more magical to her than turning on a toaster.
Beyond their two intentions, it’s the juxtaposition of the two in the same scene which creates an additional layer of profound meaning:
The opposing realities of these two women are literally layered atop each other, encapsulating what it is to be a Replicant: a tragic, paradoxical miracle of life.
The scene is magical, trippy, beautiful, heartbreaking and pathetic. There are few scenes in any type of mainstream movie, let alone scifi, that contain this level of complexity and meaning. It’s a hall of mirrors in which real and artificial blend and merge, resulting in an unforgettable scene that resonates with a deeper meaning, long after viewing.
Following the scene, there’s a terse exchange between Joi and Mariette. Both see the other as inferior, yet they provide the same service: artificial companionship. One is more physical and less human, the other, more human and less physical. Essentially they are two halves of the human existence, neither the whole. Paradoxically they are both more and less, human than human.
