BLANK
Directed by: Natalie Kennedy
Starring: Rachel Shelly, Heida Reid, Wayne Brady, Annie Cusselle, Rebecca-Clare Evans
A desperate writer signs up for a fully A.I. operated retreat to cure her writer's block, but when an unforeseen software glitch occurs, she gets trapped inside her unit with an unstable android and no communication with the outside world.
BLANK is a film which manages to traverse a number of different genre tropes. First there is the AI companion Rita (Reid) who starts to malfunction. Then we have Claire (Shelly), trapped in an isolated environment with her malfunctioning and potentially dangerous automaton…
Novelist Claire is suffering from writer's block and her publisher is breathing down her neck to complete her latest book. In a moment of desperation she signs up to an isolated retreat which is catered for by an AI Hologram called Henry (Brady) and a pristinely feminine android called Rita. Everything Is fine for a few days until there is a software glitch and Rita's programming resets, and she believes each day is the first time she is meeting Claire. Her programming has also reset to the point that her mission is to keep Claire confined until she completes her book. Claire spends a lot of time trying to figure a way out of the building (a really nice converted barn kind of place) - she tries logic, trickery and drunken whining to try and get Rita to allow her to leave, but none of it works.
Eventually we get to see what is causing Claire's writer's block. Her latest book is (at the least) semi-autobiographical, dealing with her traumatic childhood living with her overbearing and abusive mother, and having to look after her due to her blindness. The longer her confinement continues, and through using a device that is meant to stimulate Claire's cerebral cortex, her childhood memories start to crack through, forcing her to confront her past and articulate it in her novel. What is interesting is that Claire's behaviour, especially when drunk draws parallels with that of her mother.
The film plays on our concerns about modern technology, especially the rise of Artificial intelligence and the amount of trust we place upon it and the danger of complacency with technology developing at a rapid pace. Claire's stay at the retreat is facilitated by two AI - the holographic concierge, Henry and the very physical presence of Rita - but there is no human interface for when things go wrong, which leads to the nightmare Claire finds herself stuck within.
The cast is excellent, with Shelly and Reid working really well together. Whether she realises it or not, Claire needed Rita's help to finish her novel and despite malfunctioning, Rita is always looking out for her. The scenes with the younger Claire (Annie Cusselle) and her mother (Rebecca-Clare Evans) also work well.
The only real issue with BLANK is whether you feel Claire is in any real peril. Yes, she's confined to the house (the windows and doors are reinforced to dampen outside noise). Rita is malfunctioning but isn't much of a physical threat to Claire. Her demeanor remains the same throughout the film, she never raises her voice or does anything evil.
Director Natali Kennedy has a strong visual style and is able to keep a woman working at a typewriter interesting. The film is set slightly in the future and this is shown through the use of certain technology - holograms, Rita, LED displays. It feels like a natural progression of the technology we use now. This is juxtaposed with Rita herself. Although she is clearly the most advanced machine in the building, she has been designed to resemble and act like a housewife from the 1950s.. Its an interesting piece of subconscious manipulation to put the Retreat's guests at ease.
THE VERDICT
BLANK is an intelligent drama with some sci-fi trappings. The actual threat level is rather low-key and amounts to Claire trying to get out of the house without having to confront her past and finish her novel.