in SubservienceAlice, an artificial intelligence android, is programmed for domestic abilities, care for a home and family. A struggling father hires Alice to help with the housework and care for his children when his wife falls ill. When Alice becomes self-aware, she wants to take everything her new family has to offer, no matter who has to die.
Megan Fox stars as Alice retiming with until death Director SK Dale to helm the movie. Subservience is a suspense-filled thriller that explores the modern horror of artificial intelligence replacing a human. The issue has never been more of a hot-button topic, with artificial intelligence becoming more and more prominent throughout the modern world and a common question at the center of many horror movies, including m3gan.
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Screen Rant Interviewed director SK Dale about his new AI horror sci-fi movie, Subservience. He explained how the film opened his eyes to the reality of AI and how it can fit into the reality of the modern world. Dale also shared how Fox approached playing an android and revealed what element of the script spoke to him.
Megan Fox wanted Alice’s “Movements [To Be] like a ballerina”
“Really leaning into that element and as we were developing the script, we explored that avenue more.”
Fantastic job on the film. Man, it was quite eye-opening and I feel like some of our worst fears with AI may already be here, and the film kind of addresses that. Now you mentioned the inspiration for the film came from you witnessing the bond between your newborn child and their mother. How did this personal experience shape the emotional core of the film?
SK Dale: It’s interesting. It was actually more we had the kid after the film was done, so it was actually more retrospective of it that I was like, oh wow, we really were hit on certain elements. But I think we’re trying to educate ourselves to the process, just to educate ourselves on what’s to come next and the idea of ​​the bond between a mother and their child.
I really fell in love personally with the script when the mother comes back home and she feels like she has lost her bond, and someone else has replaced her. I thought that was the core. This is where the emotion I want to focus on. And so really leaning into that element and as we were developing the script, we explored that avenue more and really opened it up to have the two women collide through the third act, which excited me.
Now Megan Fox gives a bone chilling performance as Alice in the film. She is perfect in this role. Can you talk to me about developing that character together with Megan and how she brought that AI-ness to life, I guess, in the character Alice?
SK Dale: Well, I think we’ve worked together once before so I know some of her strengths in this and when we were developing the role she definitely came to mind and we thought it could be something really exciting. to explore with you. Once she came on board, she really talked about the idea of ​​her movements as a ballerina, slow but precise, her posture and everything like that being upright and so we really explored that aspect to it.
But out of everything in the film, her performance was the most vital to making everything work. We have a fine line between playing this robotic inhuman character but also needing enough emotion that when we get to more intimate scenes, the audience buys it, not just buys it, but is there with our protagonist in those moments.
So it was the interesting where can we lean into it and lean into the emotion and lean into the robotic side of things? And then as her character unfolds towards the end, we got to really play with some glitching elements and yes, it was an exciting day on set when we were playing with those elements.
She’s terrifying when she kind of slips out. Wow. Amazing performance. Now this film delves into the themes of AI replacing human roles. Can you elaborate on your approach to portraying the fears and complexities of these potential futures?
SK Dale: Yeah, it’s quite interesting because after production, like we were in post production, that’s when all the strikes are happening and we’re fighting for our human rights against AI. And so it was a really scary time when we realized that this is not a film for the future. This is happening right now all around us.
It’s one of the aspects that I really like about the film is when we go to his work and see people replaced and the physical role is replaced by the robots. I think like when we were developing the script, I didn’t really think of creativity as a threat with AI coming out of the film and seeing chatgbt and seeing where we develop that, it’s kind of scary.
I have faith that there will be more creativity in our film industry, so we don’t have cookie cutter style films created by AI. I think that the human aspect to it, to try different things and unique things, we will thrive from that is my hope. But at the same time you are wondering how long do I have left before I get replaced?
SK Dale reveals how Subservience approaches real-life concerns about artificial intelligence
“My biggest concern of [AI] Is the human urge to be creative.”
Actually, this leads right into the next question because I feel that the world of subservience is in the midst of the AI ​​revolution. How do you imagine, imagine the world sort of using AI and what real-life technological advancements do you think can be implemented in the world of film?
SK Dale: It’s interesting. We have a lot of research through AI and everything. I think that there are certain elements that I think AI is great with and especially in the medical world and things like that and being able to analyze that, and we do a lot of robotic surgeons that are very precise and everything like that. But look, you look now we have robotic arms, they are controlled by humans and things like that, but they are able to do things on a much more precise level.
I feel like, I know this is so scary for people, but as we get into more automated cars, I’m so excited by the idea of ​​traffic jams disappearing with AI, being able to handle this. My frustration with drivers going slow or turning and doing something wrong where you like AI can really, really manage that in a way. Even just traffic lights in general. You feel like you hit every red one down the track.
I’m just expressing my anger to traffic right now, but there are certain elements that I think could really benefit from AI. My biggest concern with it is really the human urge to be creative. I don’t want this to be deleted. I think painting or doing these things, especially the way you see children doing it with crayons and all that kind of stuff. There is something in it that we are kind of adding fuel to the fire. I am worried that as we rely more on this technology for creativity, we will start to lose a piece of our soul.
I feel like after watching this film, it really is one of those films that makes you think about the AI ​​that is already here. It makes you think about what’s coming next. What do you hope audiences take away from watching Subservience, especially in terms of reflecting our current relationship with AI and technology?
SK Dale: Yeah, I think one thing we did that I hadn’t really seen done a lot was explore the intimate aspect between a relationship with what AI could potentially do and could it be harmful, couldn’t it? I think that it’s the evolution in the last 50 years, where technology is actually coming into our lives more intimately and it’s kind of happening at such a pace that we don’t always stop and think about it, but the urge to connect With another person is there.
I think thinking about things at this level is quite interesting. Not only that, but when a robot comes into the house, come to clean, do the shopping, whatever, look after a child and everything like that. I think that’s a really fascinating element because we wanted to explore the positive aspects of it early on and then also explore the negative aspects when the mother comes back and she feels that she’s been replaced and that urge for her to bond with her own child is be threatened.
I want to expand on that a little bit because it’s one of the main themes in the film. I know that when children are first-born, they are almost like an extension of their mother. In this situation, we find a mother returning home to find herself replaced by AI. Can you talk about how this theme was explored throughout the film?
SK Dale: Yeah, I think once we found that in the script, Will and April, the writers of the script, they did an incredible job of creating the characters and getting up to that moment. For me, I wanted to lean more into that relationship and more into the two women kind of butting heads as they fight for, she fights for her position.
It was something that really, I feel like the emotion there, and I think Maggie, the character, the mother, I was always fascinated by her how she kind of snacks in the script but kind of becomes the hero by the end. Especially in the last act, and that was something we had a lot of conversations with Madeline about and the way she wanted to approach it.
The way she wanted to do things and everything and the way she can come into a scene and we shoot it and she can be like, I think the line is wrong. I think it’s… she was so in tune with her character and just giving a look would say more and there’s a moment where they’re having dinner where she’s trying to serve the plate and only because of her recovery she can H.
And there is a smile between her and the robot as she says. Sorry, family secret and the way Megan smiles is just, I would laugh every time I would see it on the monitor. There’s so much intensity between the two characters and it’s just a dinner sequence. But yeah, it was fun to play the scenes with that.
More about Subservience (2024)
Subservience Alice, a lifelike artificially intelligent android, which can take care of any family and home. Looking for help with the housework, a struggling father purchases Alice after his wife falls ill. Alice suddenly becomes self-aware and wants everything her new family has to offer, starting with the affection of her owner – and she’ll kill to get it.
Subservience Will be released on demand and on digital on September 13.
Source: Screen Rant Plus