Before sifting Hot spotfamous Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska appeared on screen via recording to set the table. His message? In other words: “I’m not here to provide answers, but simply to ask questions.” This kind of warning, a recalibration of the audience’s headspace, was crucial before swallowing such a mind-altering cinematic drug.
The film, a retrofuturistic vision of artificial intelligence, is atmospheric. It’s as if we were organizing a techno-scholarly apocalypse when only the creative mind that produced The attraction could manifest. Jan 623 (Andrzej Konopka) is a curly-haired detective living in an AI-run world where civilians log into a Hivemind program known as “The Head”. Those who submit are promised food, water and shelter. Those who don’t, like Noomi Rapace’s refugee Rana, are given a deadline to change their minds or are denied access to The Head’s dictatorial surveillance.
This is a thin veil of history that examines the soullessness of AI-brainwashed populations that replace consciousness with coding. As Jan investigates a disgusting murder in Rana’s clan, the film draws a sharp line between obedient AI lapdogs and free-spirited outsiders designed to be alien threats. The same goes for Jan and his compulsive wife, Ayka (Reika Kirishima), who escape from The Head by leading an industrial rock band. Apparently the singing disrupts The Head’s signal. The themes are obvious on the surface: Ayka seeks sensationalism and independence, while Jan preaches the comfort of protecting The Head, who is threatened by a cyber-witch (assumed to be Rana).
As Hot spot takes place, it is anything but expected. Smoczyńska bravely takes on our future AI overlords for the sterilization software that they are, sliding through an absurd mix of 1980s nostalgia — hell yeah, “The Final Countdown” — with extraneous arthouse nods to everything from Gaspar Noé to underrated indie films like Yannis Veslemes. Norway. The mode of operation is “kitchen sink acid trip” as we enter The Head’s void of colorful hallucinations, witness Animorph-like transformations, and watch the heads explode. Like scannersand a host of other curveballs. The agitated and fuzzy verses make us think of Star Wars creature puppets, while the gentle seduction of life’s primal drives traverse the digital hellscape of neural implants and complete binary control.
The views of Hot spot boast straightforward visual storytelling, with vivid framing led by cinematographer Jakub Kijowski. A sandy wasteland represents The Head’s territory, devoid of any dynamism, while pungent reds and blues break up the tan monotony as the characters log off. Smoczyńska prefers to show rather than tell, relying on feline symbolism that recalls the madness of the “leopards in front of me” (except that it would be “The AI ate my autonomy”). It’s not as if the filmmaker has nothing to say; Hot spot is rife with paranoia about the future we must avoid. She’s just doing her best. » Quentin Dupieux’s point of view on a Blade Runner” impression.
That said, Smoczyńska is absolutely going to leave fans of cement-cast structures in the dust.
Hot spot is not intended for an audience that disdains narratives that linger on question marks. Smoczyńska’s glitchy tyranny is too indulgent in its “wtf-ery,” as Jan’s future male detective feels like he’s living in a random simulation. Scene transitions can give you a tonal boost despite the way Kijowski’s camera slowly surveys the barren landscapes, while Smoczyńska’s artistic whimsy refusing to play by all the rules is jarring at times. It’s difficult to stay completely immersed throughout the film, and it’s a bit difficult to understand certain lines as a European co-production with English dialogue (which detracts from the experience).
There’s a problem putting all the pieces together between the AI-generated terror, wacky callbacks to the 1980s, watered-down sci-fi, and gory horror violence. As Jan strides to work, listening to his favorite tunes, Hot spot feels like a proud satire of an era. But in the darkest film, there is an indecency that contrasts sharply with the present humor. The back-and-forth of tones can feel like an exhausting ping-pong of ideas, especially when Jan shifts into father mode, determined to protect his only son, one-legged Zen (George Aurimas Cris).
All that being said, Hot spot It’s the kind of cinematic risk that stands out as counterprogramming to Hollywood’s current rotation of marketable formulas. Smoczyńska’s bold direction in societally poignant commentary is completely unique because of her genius. “If you hear a heartbeat, you can (still) feel love.” This is the refrain of Hot spotwhich contains more answers than our introduction alluded to. Smoczyńska’s approach may be avant-garde, but her fears for humanity burn at the heart of the script. A less talented filmmaker would buckle under the weight of so many daredevil choices. Yet Smoczyńska shows off here – a flawless display of free-form expressionism that gives viewers so much to say.
Movie rating: 3.5/5
