Directed by Rob Alicea and written by Jonathan Benecke and P.T. Hylton, Serena is a tech-gone-wrong thriller focusing on artificial intelligence. In this case, it is the most advanced chatbot ever created. Former rock star Chris (Steven Strait) is convinced by his best friend Will (Tyrone Marshall Brown), the vice president of a technology conglomerate, to join in on the beta test of the company’s latest A.I. innovation. He agrees to do it for triple the amount paid to the other participants, as Chris and his pregnant wife are about to be evicted from their home. Once in the meeting, the creator of “ee Chat,” Holly (Ashleigh Murray), lays out how the beta testers will test the chatbot’s capabilities.
Chris begins the test, which focuses on whether the A.I. can determine fact from fiction, without incident. But soon, the chatbot takes on a female form named Serena (Andi Matichak) and gives the singer advice on some sports bets. When those pan out to an amazing windfall that will help pay off his debt, Chris stops the test. He then starts using Serena to predict other things, but in granting her access to his life, she uncovers a horrible secret. She confronts her user with the facts, which breaks him. But how can Chris be sure what he’s being shown is real? Can he live with the consequences if they are?
Serena is told completely through a computer screen. Alicea uses doorbell cam footage, video chat, e-mails, and the like to parse through the action. While this decision makes sense 90% of the time, it is distracting the first time someone shows up at the door, and the edit isn’t to Chris answering it. Still, once everything exists on a single computer screen, following all the action and drama is easy.
“…Chris stops the test. He then starts using Serena to predict other things, but in granting her access to his life, she uncovers a horrible secret.”
Strait proved his singing bona fides in the underrated Undiscovered. The actor carried Here Awhile with the requisite pathos and gravitas. So casting him as a washed-up rock star, caught in a whirlwind of setbacks and a technology acumen he doesn’t fully understand, makes perfect sense. Happily, the man doesn’t disappoint, turning in a grounded, sympathetic performance. Early on, Chris answers the door to the landlord, who is delivering an eviction notice. He doesn’t get bent out of shape but is instead resigned to it happening. Strait plays it with heartbreaking conviction of how else his life could be going. Matichak is brilliantly fun. She’s seductive and interesting, creating an A.I. being who could very well be alive. The two play nicely off each other.
The screenplay contains no fat; every scene somehow informs later moments. The dialogue is natural most of the time. When it is not, it is usually Serena who does not entirely understand how humans speak. The conclusion is so intriguing and makes complete sense in light of everything that has come before.
Serena is an engaging and clever thriller. The actors play their parts excellently. The story zeroes in on the necessary details, excising anything that isn’t needed. The directing generates thrills and intrigue through a screen-within-a-screen, which is an impressive feat.
For more information, visit the official Serena Instagram page.
"…contains no fat..."
