Luca Guadagnino's new film Artificial debuted at the New York Film Festival to strong critical praise for lead actor Andrew Garfield.
The feature drama explores the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the high-profile executive crisis at OpenAI in 2023. Garfield stars as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman in a story detailing his controversial dismissal and unexpected reinstatement.
Initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with the film opening at a 91 percent approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 critical reviews. Reviewers described the movie as a visceral corporate drama and declared it the director's best work in ten years.
Alongside Garfield, the ensemble cast includes Yura Borisov, Ike Barinholtz, and Monica Barbaro. The plot focuses on the internal power struggles inside OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research company responsible for ChatGPT, during the turbulent events of November 2023 when Altman was temporarily removed by the board of directors.
Critical reaction and performances
Next Best Picture editor-in-chief and film critic Matt Neglia described Artificial as being as entertaining as it is terrifying. He called it a brilliantly written human story focused on power, control, ambition, and greed, describing it as perhaps the most urgent and relevant film of current times.
Neglia added that Garfield delivers one of the most unsettling and transformative performances of his career as Altman, capturing both his disarming charm and disturbing malice with equal mastery.
Variety critic Clayton Davis praised the picture as Guadagnino's finest film in a decade, writing that Garfield and co-star Yura Borisov reach new performance heights in the project. Eric Kohn, artistic director of the Southampton Playhouse and former IndieWire critic, called the movie an impeccable dark comedy on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Kohn noted that Garfield moves masterfully between portraying a movie monster, a buffoonish mogul, and an evil genius. He described the film as a fun yet frightening journey that encapsulates the core paradox of its central narrative.
Ethical clashes and real world nightmare
Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, film critic David Rooney observed that Garfield and Borisov shine as ethical opposites within Guadagnino's fascinating real-world tech nightmare. He noted that the film stands among the director's finest achievements, using dry humor to relax viewers before confronting them with a frightening reality.
Rooney highlighted that although artificial intelligence technology is advancing too rapidly for cinema to fully capture, Guadagnino and screenwriter Rich created a provocative feature that feels tailor-made for the current moment.
Production background and theatrical release
Guadagnino is an acclaimed Italian filmmaker whose previous directing credits include the romantic sports drama Challengers, released in Brazil under the title Rivais. Garfield is best known for portraying Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, while co-stars Borisov, Barinholtz, and Barbaro recently appeared in Anora, The Studio, and A Complete Unknown, respectively.
Artificial is scheduled to open in United States cinemas on Christmas Day, distributed by independent film company Neon. An official theatrical release date for international markets including Brazil has not yet been announced.
