Subservience (2024) – Movie review

Submissiveness2024.

Directed by SK Dale.
Starring Megan Fox, Michele Morrone, Madeline Zima, Matilda Firth, Andrew Whipp, Jude Greenstein, Atanas Srebrev, Manal El-Feitury, Kate Nichols and Kexin Wang.

SUMMARY:

With his wife ill, a struggling father brings home a lifelike AI – only to find that his confident new helper wants everything her new family has to offer, like her owner's affection. And she'll kill to get it.

SK Dale's Submissiveness has its mind in the right place for about 45 minutes before it transforms into a regular humanoid robot going on a rampage. This eventual direction is disappointing not only because the setup is a bit restrained, focusing on the character dynamics between humans and robots and the daunting nature of AI increasingly taking over jobs like construction workers, but also because this is the same filmmaker who gave the notoriously wooden and lifeless Megan Fox a surprisingly thrilling performance in The Last Man. Until deathwhich puts her in survival mode for a break-in while also exploiting her figure as a model for suspense by having her handcuffed to a dead man, meaning any effort to move is a physical struggle with her lugging around dead baggage.

This film (from screenwriters Will Honley and April Maguire) is an example of the easiest to grab. Megan Fox is cast as a real robot with advanced AI programming and essentially delivers her typical robot performance, only this time it fits the character. Even taking that into account, the film still comes across as uninspired and routine.

Named Alice, she is purchased by the grieving and stressed Nick (Michele Morrone) after his caring wife Maggie (Madeline Zima, who is also the only one to give a remotely competent and convincing performance here) suffers a sudden heart attack and is hospitalized as a result, where Nick juggles a plethora of parental responsibilities (they have a young child and a toddler) while also trying to be on time at the construction site every day. While out shopping with the kids, he stumbles upon the state-of-the-art robot and, of course, decides to buy the most conventional and attractive one available. Unsurprisingly, this won't be his only misstep.

Despite Michele Morrone's lame performance (looking at his performances, it's a no-brainer that he apparently only has acting experience in smutty Netflix movies, as most of his dialogue seems forced and insincere), the script is smart enough to portray the character not as one hundred percent morally misguided, but rather as a flawed human being who ends up being emotionally and sexually overwhelmed by Alice.

It would also be unfair to say that Nick doesn't understand his actions in these moments, but he has a real internal struggle with the awareness that his wife may not get a replacement heart in time and that this sentient robot he distrusts and rejects may be his source of pleasure. Alice also makes it clear that Nick is happy when his blood pressure and stress levels are low after sexual pleasure, adding another murky layer to his complicated mindset.

Frustratingly Submissiveness meanders through each act, each becoming repetitive for some reason. It takes a good 40 minutes, needlessly, for the film to even answer the question of whether or not Maggie will die. While impatience sets in, this is also where the film is at its most gripping, as it's more character-driven and about watching Nick give in to his inner desires.

At the same time, Alice also proves to be a more efficient mother thanks to her extensive information database. As usual in these films, she helps around the house, cleans and takes care of the children. She fulfills the role of a servant wife, which Nick gradually enjoys too much, even if his reservations are still there. However, he claims that she can never replace Alice (even after they have had sexual intercourse) because she lacks the human heart and will never understand the complexity of human feelings.

Several tensions come to the surface, not only because Alice is gradually taking over the household, but also because Nick's angry colleagues are seeking retribution against the construction company for firing most of them and destroying their personal lives. Alice is also increasingly resorting to her free will in dangerous ways, which will have consequences beyond the breakup of this family. Again, it mostly erupts in cliched, generic violence that visually unsuccessfully uses James Cameron's blue hues for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Submissiveness proves to be tied to a formula, devolving into mindless, forgettably contrived slasher sequences that override any sense of meaningful, topical characterization and do a disservice to the already largely horrific performances.

Assessment of the flickering myth – Film: ★ ★ / Cinema: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the reviews editor at Flickering Myth. Find new reviews here, follow my Þjórsárden or Letterboxd, or email me at [email protected]

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