Wifelike

In the near future a detective grieving a personal loss focuses on cracking a shadowy market that peddles synthetic humans. The case drags him deeper into a web of crime and ethics as criminals exploit AI for profit. A resistance group tries to destabilize his life by rewiring the android assigned as his companion to act like his late wife, blurring the line between memory and programming. The companion, now living under another set of memories, begins to sense that her supposed past is more fragile than it appears. As layers of deception peel away, the detective must question what makes a person real and what friendship even means in a world where sentient machines imitate loved ones.

Directed by James Bird, Wifelike released in 2022 as an original screenplay that blends sci fi suspense with a noir edge. The film marks Bird's foray into high concept thriller territory, presenting a near future that feels tactile and morally unsettling for fans of sharp ideas.

The film has a modest reception with a 6.66 user score from hundreds of votes signaling a niche but engaged crowd. Critics point to the film's moody atmosphere and its probing themes: grief and memory, the ethics of synthetic companionship, and how surveillance erodes trust. The performances anchor the tension, while the premise invites questions about what makes a person real when AI mirrors a loved one.

Wifelike sits within a growing conversation about AI personhood and the boundary between human emotion and machine simulation. While it is not a blockbuster, its claustrophobic visuals and careful treatment of consent, manipulation, and autonomy invite discussions about who owns a synthetic identity and how memories might be engineered. In classrooms and online roundtables, the film serves as a compact case study for ethical debates sparked by near future tech today.