Franklin Ritch's science fiction drama picture The Artifice Girl had its world premiere in July 2022 at the Fantasia International picture Festival. The teenage actor who plays the film's protagonist, an artificial intelligence capable of looking up child predators online, has attracted the attention of law enforcement.
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Storyline:
Gareth, a programmer for computers, is in danger. He has created an AI that can look for child molesters online and pretend to be the girl "Cherry" to them. The authorities are now paying attention to the initiative. Gareth has been in places on the internet where he shouldn't have been, according to special agent Dena Helms and her partner, special agent Amos McCullough. They want to establish his identify since they think he is the culprit and not a paedophile hunter.
Production:
Franklin Ritch, who also authored the screenplay, was in charge of directing it. [2] Following the 2019 comedy Teardrop Goodbye with Mandatory Directorial Commentary by Remy Von Trout, this is his second time directing a major motion picture.
The movie is broken into three acts, the first of which shows Gareth's questioning and occurs in a single, poorly lit room. Act Two, which takes place 15 years later in the same room, explores the effects of technological growth and "Cherry" the AI's progress. In the third act, Gareth has aged a few decades and his invention has undergone yet another alteration. [3]
The computer programmer Gareth is portrayed by the director himself. [2] Lance Henriksen portrays this fifty years later as an elderly guy.
Starring as Cherry, the AI he developed, is Tatum Matthews. [4] Ritch worked with the upcoming actress on a play and a handful of his films as a director, so they were acquainted. Special Agent Amos McCullough is portrayed by David Girard, with whom the filmmaker has a lengthy connection. The leader of an international child protection agency, Special Agent Deena/Dena Helms, is portrayed by Sinda Nichols, with whom Ritch has performed on stage several times.[2] [4] [3] Ivana Barnes, Thomas Hamby, Rashaud Sessions, Alyssa Moody, and Ilia Moody are also featured.
On July 23, 2022, the movie had its world debut at the Fantasia International Film Festival. [5] It was shown at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2023. The US distribution rights were then acquired by XYZ Films.
Review:
95 percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are favourable, with an average rating of 7.7 out of 10. [9]
The Artifice Girl is more sophisticated than other films of its ilk, according to Jennie Kermode of Eye for Film, and is pleasantly devoid of improper emotions. People who are familiar with the level of AI technology today may find this implausible, but occasionally philosophy is a stronger instrument than pure science for researching future challenges since it enables us to explore things we haven't yet considered but can really envision.
Franklin Ritch did an excellent job in that area without all the frills that are typically associated with the genre. Intelligent science fiction is a tool that can help us prepare for life in a changing environment. If there is a flaw in his futuristic view, it is that the movie doesn't address how to create ethical boundaries for the advancement of artificial intelligence. It's challenging to think of computers and brains as being equally intelligent, according to Kermode, because computers are good at some things and brains are at others. The Artifice Girl is an effective, low-cost movie that serves as both a terrific resume for a creative team with high goals and an engaging addition to discussions about the future of AI.
Awards:
- International Film Festival of Fantasia 2022
- Best International Feature Award [10]
- 2023 Florida Film Festival
- Nomination for a feature film competition [8]
- Festival of South by Southwest 2023
- Franklin Ritch has been nominated for the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award.