I Put my Face in Tomorrow 

Directed by Chris Weitz

Starring John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Keith Carradine 

Released August 30th, 2024

Rated PG-13

It’s clear that most everyone on the planet is terrified about the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence. Everyone except Big Tech, those corporations that seem committed to using A.I. in every facet of their businesses, regardless of how consumers feel. This is the future, they say, deal with it. The application of artificial intelligence in creative spaces doesn’t make much sense to me, as most of the artists I know would not want to use A.I. to paint for them, or write for them, or make music for them. The joy for the artist is in the creative process. Turning that over to an algorithm doesn’t make sense. That’s not to say I dismiss A.I. out of hand. A.I. has the potential to help humans make huge advancements in health care, space travel, and many other (non-creative) pursuits. If it doesn’t kill us first. 

After many years of marriage, Curtis (John Cho) and his wife Meredith (Katherine Waterston) are still in love with each other, but their happiness is a bit hard to see, as both are perpetually exhausted from the routine demands of the day. Meanwhile, Curtis and Meredith’s three kids are each dealing with their own issues. Eldest child Iris (Lukita Maxwell) is having boyfriend trouble with rich kid Sawyer (Bennett Curran), middle child Preston (Wyatt Lindner) is having trouble fitting in with the other schoolkids his age, and youngest child Cal (Isaac Bae) is experiencing some trouble with his health. 

Curtis is a marketing specialist who has a good rapport with his boss/mentor Marcus (Keith Carradine). Marcus arranges for Curtis to test out a new digital assistant at his home, to get a feel for it before they start their marketing campaign for their clients. One of these clients is Melody (Havana Rose Liu), whose voice was used as the basis for the speaking voice of the digital assistant. Curtis sets up the device, known as AIA, in his house, his family greeting the machine with wary eyes. AIA is all bubbly and reassuring as she tells the family the wonderful things it will be able to help them with. Their lives are about to get easier. Sit back, take a breath, AIA will handle it from here. Each child forms their own bond with AIA, with the device able to see their needs and go above and beyond to meet them. Meredith feels stuck in a rut just being a mom. An entomologist, she wants to get back to her research on ants. Meredith is thrilled when AIA helps her with her dissertation on insects, and less thrilled when AIA uses A.I. to digitally reanimate her dead papa (Todd Waring). 

Waterston is relatable as a woman who wants to recover her pre-motherhood identity, and Cho really takes his role seriously, selling the ridiculous script to the best of his ability. It’s safe to say Waterston and Cho are much better than the movie itself. With a scant runtime of only 84 minutes (with credits!), you’ll be left with many questions after watching AFRAID, such as “What are AIA’s goals?” and “Where did the RV couple get those weird emoji gasmasks?” The RV inhabitants in question are Henry (Greg Hill) and Maud (Riki Lindhome), part of an undercooked subplot about parents trying to find their missing kid. Perhaps these characters and their motivations would be more fleshed out in a longer cut of the film, but as it stands it’s just confusing. 

This is a Blumhouse production, and the premise is not dissimilar from Blumhouse’s recent hit horror flick M3GAN, though this antagonist is more Alexa and less Teddy Ruxpin. AFRAID doesn’t go far enough into the horror realm, content to be a tech thriller warning against the dangers of giving up control to an incorporeal algorithm. While it’s not even a little bit scary (despite a few desperate jump scares), AFRAID manages to pose some interesting questions about our relationship with artificial intelligence. Why did we create it? What do we want from it? Why do we feel trapped by our creation? Since the A.I. genie is already out of its bottle, AFRAID feels less like a movie about the future, and more like a movie about where we are right now. Alex Weston’s eerie synth score helps to set just the right unsettling mood, and hearing Utopia by Goldfrapp during the film is a nice bonus. Written and directed by Chris Weitz, AFRAID is a technophobe’s dream, but it probably won’t make you…afraid.