The Art of The Artifice Girl @SXSW 2023

There was so much talk going on at SXSW 2023 this year regarding artificial intelligence, virtual reality and deep fake. Director Franklin Ritch‘s The Artifice Girl could not have come at a better time. We all wonder where this intelligent technology is headed which opens up that conversation. Many of us also have some of those dire ethical questions that come to mind. Artifice Girl slides into that slope of our use of AI to catch people doing unlawful things. But also slides into its use to gain more power to oppress. These are those open-ended questions that we will continue to ask and attempt to solve in the future.

Cherry Picking

The Artifice Girl begins its three-chapter story with the introduction of Deena played by Sinda Nichols. Busy and tired along with her colleague Amos, played by David Girard, brings in the internet vigilante both were seeking. Gareth, played by director Franklin Ritch himself, is brought to answer questions about his technological development. Deena and Amos interrogate Gareth about a child named Cherry with whom they believe Gareth has a close relationship.

They finally get to the bottom of things after a constant struggle to pull the truth out of Gareth. After being rewarded with anonymity, Gareth reveals that Cherry, played by Tatum Matthews, is more than a vulnerable young girl sought out by online predators in chatrooms. She is artificial intelligence that Gareth has developed to do the dirty work of catching pedophiles. Amos and Shinda both closely analyze Cherry to see if she is human by asking questions to determine if she feels emotions.

Crossroads of AI

Gareth is asked to join the team afterwards which leads to the second chapter of the film. Set many years later, they all quarrel about the morality of what they are doing. Sinda even asks Cherry who is nearing the last chapter of her life how to go about things. This is how she has become more dependent on artificial intelligence when she or many of us are at a crossroads. But this is where the audience determines the growth and development of an AI like Cherry. With much Terminator and Ex-Machina influences without the special effects, we question whether Cherry is experiencing emotions.

Director Franklin Ritch truly works with what he has which is his cast’s great performance and strong dialogue. The arthouse element of the film shines bright in the first two chapters. The enclosed spaces make even the audience nauseous and frustrated just captivates that arthouse ingredient provoking passion to this story. How the characters all develop along with Cherry is compelling because you don’t know where she is going to lead them. The solution of catching online predators evolves to be a major problem at the end of it all.

Sophisticated Technology

The Artifice Girl is a tough subject to tackle because of the sophistication of AI technology. What is important about this film is that its arthouse style allows the audience to develop a relationship with an AI form like Cherry. This develops especially in the closing chapter where Gareth is played by the sci-fi icon himself Lance Henriksen who makes an outstanding cameo.

With such a witty and on-point dialogue, even audiences who are not aware of the keywords or jargon when it comes to AI technology will know what is going on in their hearts. It is credible in the tech world making The Artifice Girl shoot to the top. The subject matter is controversial and difficult. There should be no joking around when it comes to the double-edged sword narrative of AI technology. Especially when it comes to tracking down those without a heart.

https://www.paperstreetpictures.com