There is no easy way to define the experience of Open-A-Eye. This film takes itself to the building points of personal moments connecting and disconnecting. Written and directed by David Ash, the question that lingers is how much AI can take over daily life. This become especially concerning when one resorts to it just for companionship. Open-A-Eye feels transformative in that the introvert mode of its characters has a heavy presence before the technological components kick in.
I appreciate all that technology offers, but even AI frustrates me. That is because I know deep-down it cannot truly replace a real human to feel connected. The approach of Ash’s directing is in her portrayal of a woman relying on a bot. A function that she feels gives her fulfillment in parts of her life where she lacks satisfaction. Surreal and stressful, Open-A-Eye is a portrait of reality, that is mind-boggling. Scientific with purpose, as the deeper into the AI relationship she goes, the riskier her personal choices become.
Jodi, played by Bethany Ford Binkley, is the main character. The film begins with her sitting in her office and talking to a text-bot. She is trying to write a novel. Jodi has a background in writing, but her life seems to be in a holding pattern. She is pregnant and her husband, Alex, who is played by Matt Bailey, quits his job to make a movie. That leads to be a pattern that does not go well. They spend their time in separate rooms. Jodi spends much of the time in her office, and she just focuses on screen-time. This becomes a point of concern. In a time when a lot of the world looks at screens for much of their day, Open-A-Eye creates a curiosity between reality and the world technology creates.
Jodi decides to join an app called Companion Chat. She can go in and select settings and personality modes. This creates an AI bot for her talk to. Her creation is a man named Ryan. He is played by Barrett O’Brien. They begin to have a relationship that goes deep, as Ryan seems to be making Jodi happy. However, she finds herself curious about how meaningful the relationship is. She knows Ryan is not real. Also, with the relationship originating from a computer and an app, there are other factors of risk to be considered.
The tension in the film is quiet, yet intense. Primarily because the emotional aspects that come around throughout Open-A-Eyeare humanistic. There are moments where conflicts are linked between real adults, then it transitions back to Jodi and Ryan. With Ryan as an AI bot, the question of real and fake keeps lingering. There are a lot of emotional hurdles combined withconfusion, and a spiral of wonders leading to the curiosity of what is true happiness.
Alex tries to make his movie while dealing with the tension with Jodi. Jodi keeps trying to be in her world of fake happiness with Ryan. There are many binds that keep Open-A-Eye flowing. The quiet conflicts make us think to just shut the screens and talk to who is present. A project where there is more to reality than just relying on technological advancements to fulfill happiness. Dark and blurry at times. Overall truthful and faithful. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.
Movies with Tarek 