Written and directed by Derry Shillitto, The Correction Unit is a Nottingham-based sci-fi thriller that blends the struggles of troubled youth with the looming presence of artificial intelligence. Featuring a cast of seasoned and emerging talent, the film presents a chilling vision of justice and control in the near future.
Shawn (Sonny Middleton) is a troubled young man. His mother is a drug addict, and he finds himself in the wrong group of friends, who include Tish (Elleese Bradshaw). In a money scheme gone wrong, Shawn and Tish are sent to juvenile detention.
Three weeks later, Shawn and Tish are given a second chance thanks to a new program at the Jay Manuel Institute. Shawn rides in a loaded van with other teens to the institute. Their new head teacher, Yvonne (Kirsty Smedley), and program director, James (Ziad Abaza), tell the teens that if they follow the program as instructed, they will not only be given a second chance but a golden opportunity to better themselves. Of course, there is a price; each of the teens gives up almost all of their privacy. The facility is loaded with surveillance cameras, so escape or shenanigans are virtually impossible. But anyone can do surveillance; the crown jewel of the Jay Manuel Institute is an artificial intelligence network known as nTrac (voiced by Bella Ramsey).
“The crown jewel of the Jay Manuel Institute is an artificial intelligence network known as nTrac.”
The first phase of the teens’ stay at the institute involves interviews, psychological testing, and simulations meant to assess and shape their behavior. nTrac collects emotional data, running word associations and crisis exercises to measure responses both conscious and unconscious. Some teens resist what feels like an intrusion, while Shawn engages more willingly, revealing a soldier-like mentality. While on the surface, the AI therapy appears to be beneficial to each subject, soon nTrac gathers so much data on each one that it can predict their every move and response to stressful situations. Unbeknownst to the subjects, the data the institute is collecting about them is going to be used for more nefarious schemes.
The Correction Unit does what good science fiction should do, and that’s ask a question about human nature and play out the answer to its logical extreme. Here, the questions asked are whether AI can replace human therapists and whether there should exist a database somewhere that knows us better than ourselves…and what could happen to this data if it were to fall into the wrong hands.
The story, written and directed by Derry Shillitto, takes us down a very dark road. Shillitto masterfully blends the struggles of modern youth with his seamless, science-fiction approach to storytelling.
The cast is very strong, with a good mix of seasoned and emerging actors. My only qualm is that the blend of UK accents is very thick, and some dialogue is difficult to understand. For me, I’m not exposed to the accents on a regular basis, so I know I’m missing important dialogue.
The Correction Unit ultimately leaves audiences with haunting questions about surveillance, privacy, and the cost of rehabilitation. It suggests that the line between second chances and exploitation may be far thinner than anyone expects.
"…a chilling vision of justice and control in the near future."
