As AI has taken over in recent years, it’s likely you’ve encountered author Joanna Maciejewska’s viral sentiment: “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.”
One SXSW Film & TV Festival standout amied to answer what would happen if AI took on more mundane tasks. In Alex Prager’s “DreamQuil,” Elizabeth Banks stars as an overwhelmed mom who attends a virtual wellness retreat — and returns home to find a robot version of herself attending to her family’s needs.
“I think that no matter what tasks we turn over to it, we’re losing a little bit of our humanity. And I think that’s definitely part of what the movie’s message is,” Banks told Page Six Hollywood at the film’s Austin, Tex., premiere.
“I think it’s important to start putting some parameters around what we will accept and what we won’t, in terms of caring for each other. This AI, ultimately, is a caregiver. And if we’re not caring for each other, then what is our humanity? What are we supposed to be doing, if not connecting with each other?”
Banks takes on two roles in the film, both as Carol and her robot counterpart, Carol Two (or Carol Too, depending how you look at it). John C. Reilly, Juliette Lewis and Kathryn Newton also star in the stylish psychological thriller.
Prager, known for her photography work in magazines and galleries alike, prioritized uplifting human artists when crafting the film.
“I was very keen to use as many handcrafted in-camera techniques as possible, because it’s really about the automation and the humanity,” she said. “It’s really important just to feel the craftsmanship of human beings making this come together.”
