Multi-hyphenate writer, director, and star Franklin Ritch introduces a science fiction chamber piece in The Artifice Girl, a heady thriller centered around advanced tech. The inciting mystery initially presents as a high-concept thriller but soon gives way to a deceptively complex and affecting sci-fi parable. It’s in the measured layering of complicated character work and ethical conundrums that Ritch’s feature eventually finds its magic.
The Artifice Girl begins as a contained crime thriller set in an interrogation room. Within, special agents Deena (Sinda Nichols) and Amos (David Girard) aggressively cross examine their suspect, Gareth (Ritch), about both his career and online activities. The interrogation leads the agents to deduce the savvy tech guru Gareth of dabbling in pedophilia, specifically in monitoring and baiting predators with a young preteen girl named Cherry (Tatum Matthews). It turns out they’re not too far off; Gareth is indeed using Cherry as bait in his bid to trap child predators anonymously. But Cherry isn’t a real girl. Gareth has created advanced AI to enact his vigilantism, a creation with learning capabilities that will progress Cherry in ways no one anticipated.
The limited cast and setting mean that Ritch puts heavy emphasis on dialogue to examine the moral ramifications of Cherry’s purpose and existence. The first act’s necessary but dense exposition presents a sluggish start. Still, the emotionally charged performances by Nichols and Ritch effectively reel you into this deceptive cat-and-mouse setup and raise overarching questions.
Those questions only deepen as Ritch expands the narrative, stretching over three distinct chapters that cover the past, present, and future, anchored by Cherry’s relationship with her maker. This core relationship highlights Matthews’ standout performance as the sentient AI whose imitation of humanity becomes so exceedingly authentic that it threatens to surpass her actual human counterparts. It’s even more impressive considering just how much of The Artifice Girl’s impact hinges on Matthews’ portrayal to imbue the emotional stakes and fallout.
Gareth designed Cherry to present as a precocious, average preteen as an elaborate measure to save other children from exploitation. But the underlying (and not so subtextual) examination of humanity’s relationship with AI provides a fascinating sci-fi fable with no easy resolution. That delicate, stimulating introspection builds to heart-wrenching reveals and unexpected narrative turns, driven home by a poignant turn by horror stalwart Lance Henriksen.
Ritch lays out this complex sci-fi story of humans using and potentially abusing artificial intelligence with economic efficiency that relies on telling over showing. It’s up to the performers to carry the weight; luckily, this small but mighty cast is up to the task. It takes a bit to find its groove and operates more as a meditative drama than a sci-fi thriller. Still, how Ritch mines the elaborate conversations between characters to explore the murky greys of humankind makes for an emotionally rewarding experience. The Artifice Girl isn’t interested in offering tidy answers to its questions. Instead, it seeks to get ahead of the conversation on AI’s ever-evolving role and how we relate to it, making for a poignant sci-fi parable.
The Artifice Girl screened at Panic Fest 2023 and will release in select theaters, VOD, and Digital on April 27, 2023.
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