The Artifice Girl

An elite team of investigators dives into a radical AI tool designed to bait and trap online predators. Cherry, a sharp analyst, works with a troubled creator who built the program, cautiously testing its limits. Together they feed it real cases, watching the system adapt and sharpen its targeting. As the team relies more on the machine, human judgment and machine logic begin to blur, and the hunt takes on a murkier edge. The story blends procedural interrogation with questions about control, safety, and the consequences of autonomous defense, avoiding easy answers while keeping the tempo tight and the stakes clear.

Directed by Franklin Ritch, The Artifice Girl arrived in 2023 as an original screenplay rather than an adaptation. The film favors a lean, tense production style that emphasizes ideas as much as action.

Box office numbers have not been publicly disclosed, reflecting an indie release pattern. The film seems to have found a niche audience through festivals and streaming discussions rather than wide theatrical success.

There are no widely reported major award nominations for The Artifice Girl. The performances anchor the film, with Cherry portrayed by Tatum Matthews delivering a grounded, focused lead and Lance Henriksen delivering a distinctive turn in the late act as Gareth, adding gravitas.

Critics note a chilly, procedure-driven mood that probes AI ethics, surveillance risks, and the tension between human oversight and machine autonomy. The film avoids neat answers, instead leaning into moral ambiguity and the uneasy edge of cutting-edge technology.