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Synthetic Sincerity

Play trailer Poster for Synthetic Sincerity 2025 1h 12m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 6 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
The Synthetic Sincerity Lab based at the University of Southern England are trying to create authentic AI characters as part of a new research project. The head of the lab, Professor SonG, licenses the films of Marc Isaacs' to better understand what his AI characters are lacking and, in turn, agrees the Filmmaker can document their working process. Blending documentary with fiction, Synthetic Sincerity uses humor and innovative narrative techniques to form a reflection on what is happening to the human face in the era of AI and what this might mean for the future of cinema. The film’s cast include: an AI character made in collaboration with Illinca Manolache (Don't Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Radu Jude, 2023); Lynn, a rebellious and charismatic AI researcher from Beirut and Ablikim, a Uighur chef quietly (but painfully) dealing with his exile in London. When the filmmaker goes rogue and starts filming the private lives of the lab researchers -- and Lynn and her colleagues have transformed Ablikim into an AI able to tell the world about what he's gone through -- the university provost and his AI assistant decide to enact revenge.

Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Jul 21
While hybrid films that blur the line between documentary and fiction are frequently fascinating, using this approach to explore AI -- a subject already loaded with questions of fakery and inauthenticity -- feels self-defeating. Go to Full Review Mark Kermode Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube) Jul 20
I really enjoyed it. Go to Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times Jul 16
4/5
...at its heart the film is filled with gently militant humanism. For all the attention AI gets, it suggests, we remain the most interesting thing to make movies about. Go to Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Jul 14
3.5/5
Filmmaker Marc Isaacs' witty, gently paced approach encourages us to watch out for the quirks make genuine people so engaging and surprising. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Marc Isaacs

Director

Ilinca Manolache

Actor

Adam Ganz

Screenwriter

Marc Isaacs

Producer

Marc Isaacs

Cinematographer

David Charap

Film Editor
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Synthetic Sincerity

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Movie Info

Synopsis The Synthetic Sincerity Lab based at the University of Southern England are trying to create authentic AI characters as part of a new research project. The head of the lab, Professor SonG, licenses the films of Marc Isaacs' to better understand what his AI characters are lacking and, in turn, agrees the Filmmaker can document their working process. Blending documentary with fiction, Synthetic Sincerity uses humor and innovative narrative techniques to form a reflection on what is happening to the human face in the era of AI and what this might mean for the future of cinema. The film’s cast include: an AI character made in collaboration with Illinca Manolache (Don't Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Radu Jude, 2023); Lynn, a rebellious and charismatic AI researcher from Beirut and Ablikim, a Uighur chef quietly (but painfully) dealing with his exile in London. When the filmmaker goes rogue and starts filming the private lives of the lab researchers -- and Lynn and her colleagues have transformed Ablikim into an AI able to tell the world about what he's gone through -- the university provost and his AI assistant decide to enact revenge.
Director
Marc Isaacs
Producer
Marc Isaacs
Screenwriter
Adam Ganz
Production Co
Marc Isaacs Films
Genre
Documentary
Runtime
1h 12m