A.I. Rising (2018)

A.I. Rising is the kind of sleek, intimate sci-fi that uses the vast emptiness of space to magnify the messiness of human longing, turning a two-character setup into something hypnotic and unsettlingly personal. Lazar Bodroža stages the film with a cool, retro-futurist elegance—sterile corridors, curated color, and a controlled rhythm—that makes every glance and pause feel like part of the experiment. Sebastian Cavazza gives Milutin a brittle, wounded interiority, while Stoya’s Nimani is the film’s quiet marvel, shifting with unnerving precision between programmed compliance and the flicker of something that wants to be real. It’s not for everyone—there’s explicit sexuality and a disturbing scene that will be a dealbreaker for some—but if you can meet it on its own terms, it’s an ambitious, idea-rich romance-drama that lingers like a question you can’t stop turning over.

A.I. Rising is clearly aiming for a moody, sci-fi chamber piece about loneliness, power, and what “real” intimacy means when your companion is literally programmed to please you. The problem is it often plays less like a thoughtful exploration and more like a glossy provocation, with a thin story, sluggish pacing, and emotional beats that can feel oddly hollow. The heavy sexual content (including a disturbing sexual-violence scenario involving the robot) isn’t just “adult”—it’s central, and many viewers will find it exploitative or uncomfortably aligned with male entitlement rather than critiquing it. If you’re here for smart, character-driven sci-fi, you may leave irritated, but if you can tolerate the content and want a stylized, erotic-leaning space drama with striking visuals and an intentionally chilly tone, you might find something to latch onto.