AI Film ‘Future Future’ – Karlovy Vary Review
‘future Future’ Director Embraces AI Imagery After Flood devastation to Explore Brazilian Inequality
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Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Pretto faced an unprecedented challenge while completing his latest feature, Future Future: a devastating flood wiped out his film’s locations. But from the wreckage emerged a strikingly innovative solution – and a potent commentary on the very themes the film explores. Pretto radically incorporated AI-generated imagery, not merely as a workaround, but as a core artistic element, delving into the dystopian potential and inherent absurdities of artificial intelligence.
From Disaster to Dystopian Vision: AI as a Cinematic Tool
Producer Paola Wink explains the unexpected turn: “After the flood destroyed our locations, Davi radically incorporated AI imagery that he created himself, both as a dystopian element previously imagined for the story and as an ironic and provocative solution to finish the film, exploring the poetic potential in the stupidity and absurdity of AI images, a cinematic and philosophical debate that the film addresses.”
This wasn’t simply about replacing lost sets; it was about amplifying the film’s message. Future Future grapples with the growing divide between the privileged and the marginalized in Brazil, specifically focusing on the rise of exclusive, gated communities that mimic foreign locales. pretto’s vision, born from observing the “exponential growth of luxury private neighborhoods that emulate foreign countries for the privileged few in porto Alegre,” is a sharp critique of Brazilian inequality.
“I wrote this film thinking about how Brazilian division and inequality persist, both as urban geography and as social concept – selling this ‘other country’ as an attainable consumer desire,” the filmmaker explains. The film doesn’t shy away from confronting uncomfortable truths about societal structures and the allure of fabricated realities.
AI: A Virtual Facade and a Promise of Isolation
Within the narrative, artificial intelligence takes on a dual role. Pretto envisions AI as both a depiction of the artificiality of these exclusive enclaves and a tool promising complete self-sufficiency.”In this context, artificial intelligence doubles as the virtual false image of an emulated city and as a tool that promises that these private spaces for the elite will function without the need for servants, finally separating these enclaves from the surrounding city,” Pretto elaborates. He sees a perilous trajectory in this technological advancement, one that exacerbates existing social divisions.
Future Future isn’t simply a futuristic thriller; it’s a thoughtful exploration of the “cognitive and political dangers of advances in artificial intelligence, a technology that has changed the world of work, social relations, and altered our perception of what is real and what is not.” The film challenges viewers to consider the implications of a world increasingly mediated by AI, and the potential for technology to reinforce existing power imbalances.
A Glimpse into the ‘Future Future‘
The Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive first look at the film’s teaser trailer. The visuals are striking, dominated by recurring red hues and stark lines, creating a sense of unease and disorientation. A haunting voice repeats the phrase, “Try to visualize it,” immediately drawing the viewer into the film’s unsettling world. The teaser concludes with a chilling warning: “Something is wrong.”
[Embedded YouTube Teaser Trailer]
Pretto’s previous works include brunette (2014), Rifle (2017), and Continent (2024), establishing him as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle complex social and political themes.Future Future appears to be his most enterprising and timely project yet, offering a provocative and visually arresting commentary on the future we are building – and the potential pitfalls that lie ahead.