BLANK (2022) Reviews of artificial intelligence sci-fi horror

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‘Watching · Helping · Guiding · Controlling’
Blank is a 2022 British sci-fi film about a struggling author who finds herself trapped in an A.I. retreat with a malfunctioning android.

Directed by Natalie Kennedy (shorts: Down and Out; Doris; Trauma; Shed), making her film debut, from a screenplay written by Stephen Herman. Produced by Rebecca-Clare Evans of KenMor Films for Caged Film Ltd and Executive Produced by Lyndon Baldock of Templeheart Films in association with Marcia Do Vales of Enmar Productions.

The movie stars Heida Reed (FBI International; Poldark), Rachel Shelley (The L Word; Lagaan: Once Upon A Time in India) and Wayne Brady (Black Lightning).

Plot:
Set in the near future, struggling author, Claire Rivers, sign up for a fully A.I. operated retreat to help her writer’s block, but when an unforeseen software glitch occurs, she gets trapped inside her unit with a malfunctioning android, a degenerating host and no communication with the outside world.

As time is running out, food supplies getting desperately low and the android becoming increasingly unstable, Claire must overcome her fears and find a way to outsmart the technology in order to make it out of the retreat alive…

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Reviews:
” ….Blank worked really well for a long while. There is perhaps a bit too jarring a gap between the style and vibe in the flashbacks and the present time. I feel confident in saying that this is intentional, but the film is stronger when sticking with the sci-fi thriller style of the present-day story. Also, it does run a bit too long, which is a shame.” Heaven of Horror

“There is some advanced technology in use, but it’s handled in an unobtrusive and abstract manner, so the CGI effects do not look glaringly fake. But don’t let that dissuade you. It’s a unique offering that is definitely worth a watch.” 4/5, Morbidly Beautiful

Blank drags just a little in the middle with a bit too much repetition while Claire is working out what to do next, but on the whole, it’s a clever use of minimal cast to explore our limitations and boundaries, whether imposed by our reliance on technology, or of our own psychological making.” The Movie Isle

“If you’re a fan of Black Mirror, Stephen King novels, and Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Veldt,” this is a film you’ve got to watch. Even if you’re not a fan of any of those things, you should still watch it. Like most successful science fiction and thriller stories, the technology-borne horror is just the outermost layer.” Nightmarish Conjurings

Blurb:
Beautifully blending tension and drama, the film draws upon a number of contemporary themes that interweave seamlessly, including the impact of developing technology such as Artificial Intelligence, and our increased reliance upon it as we become more and more hooked into the digital world.

Release:
In the US, Blank will be released by Brainstorm Media theatrically in selected locations and On-Demand (VOD) on September 23, 2022.

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Trailer 1:

Trailer 2:

Cast and characters:
Rachel Shelley … Claire Rivers
Heida Reed … Rita
Wayne Brady … Henry
Annie Cusselle … Young Claire
Rebecca-Clare Evans … Helen Rivers
Jamie Lomas … John
Bhasker Patel … Dr Varma
Petra Bryant … Elena
Kel Allen … News Anchor
Claire Fox … Kate
Mia Vore … A.I.
Greg Owens … Pianist
Rachel Davies … Dancer
Martin Howard … Postman

Technical details:
1 hour 34 minutes

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