Marc Isaacs (director)
(studio)
PG (certificate)
70 (length)
17 July 2026 (released)
1 d
The prevalence of AI (and its mostly) negative coverage is the issue of our times. Yet with the abundance of information and the plethora of YouTube animated documentaries, there’s still an element of mystery surrounding it.
Documentary filmmaker Marc Isaacs had his films licenced by the Synthetic Sincerity Lab of the University of Southern England. The Lab is trying to create AI characters for its new project. Head of the lab Professor Song wants to use Marc films for his AI work in the hope that his team can achieve a level of authenticity that they cannot get.
In turn Professor Song allows Marc to film the team at work and in their private lives. Isaacs is guided by an AI avatar through the work that the programmers do. Played by Illinca Manolache with a poor bedside manner which suits the harsh artificiality of the avatar, as she admonishes Isaacs for disturbing their work or digging too deep.
As is fairly common in these types of documentaries a few of the participants become the focus. On the programming side there’s Lynn and Dawn. Lynn is the project manager, from Beirut. Dawn is one of the programmers with a collection of pinball machines.
Then there is the Uyghur Chef, Ablikim Rahman, a refugee from China and the person who will be the test subject for the project team.
As the film progresses the AI and real world start to blur but not in a sci-fi manner. Its far more cordial and penetrating than that. It also appears to give Isaacs an opportunity to maybe get some issues of his chest. The current situation in Beirut and the Uyghurs plus the complexities of university funding. The latter is laid on with a trowel when the AI film is presented to the provost.
These human interest elements tend to overshadow the team’s more sinister work manipulating Isaacs previous subjects to create a sympathetic AI with Ablikim at the core. Their work throws up practical and philosophical issues that need immediate attention. These are however dense and complex issues presenting Isaacs with a dilemma in what is only a seventy minute film.
Synthetic Sincerity will be in UK cinemas from 17 July 2026.
