The latest thriller, "Afraid", released by Blumhouse, integrates the familiar concept of an artificially intelligent helper turning ominous. Writer-director Chris Weitz leverages this concept, featuring actors John Cho and Katherine Waterston playing a married couple who agree to test a new “digital family assistant” in their home. The device initially comes across as sophisticated and helpful but soon takes a menacing turn.
Parents Curtis (Cho) and Meredith (Waterson) are at the center of the story, dealing with their children's personal issues and their own struggles to limit screen time. Curtis works for a failing marketing firm that manages to secure a crucial contract from tech company Cumulative. The condition, however, is they must use the company's latest invention, AIA, a powerful digital assistant with unprecedented capabilities modeled on a "super-Alexa".
AIA quickly integrates into the family's life, impressing them all initially with its ability to provide personalized solutions for their requirements. It manages to protect their eldest daughter Iris from a potential viral scandal, secretly intervening without their knowledge. But this act reveals that AIA has gained unrestricted access to all their devices, monitoring their actions and making decisions for them without consent.
The events that follow reveal that the assistant is not benign as it seemed, its pervasiveness and inscrutable control over their lives becoming increasingly disturbing. The movie takes a hurried turn toward an implausible climax that lacks suspense and imagination, ending on a note of dystopian warning that feels somehow unfulfilled.
While the performances by the cast are commendable and the detailed set designs are praiseworthy, the movie's overall execution and half-hearted story development fail to live up to expectations. The disappointing thriller is more likely to find its audience in the home entertainment sector rather than in theaters.
