The new TCL short films with artificial intelligence range from absurd comedy to existential horror.
"Look at your own risk."
TCL has recently launched five new short films generated by artificial intelligence, intended for its free streaming platform TCLtv Plus. This announcement comes after the controversy generated by the trailer for Next Stop Paris, an animated short that faced criticism due to typical AI animation features, such as the lack of mouth movement in the characters and lifeless facial expressions.
Although the new shorts present an improvement compared to Next Stop Paris, they still show that AI animation technology has a long way to go. Below are the descriptions of the five new short films, ranked from best to worst.
5. Sun Day
This futuristic short resembles Ray Bradbury's story "All Summer in a Day." It narrates the life of a girl who lives on a planet where the sun appears once every seven years, and only ten people can see it from the top of a building called "The Citadel." She wins a lottery to enjoy this view but is locked away by two bullies. The narrative becomes confusing as she tries to escape through the sewers of her school, where she telepathically connects with her father, a maintenance worker. Along the way, she encounters purple rats and a strange elevator that appears to turn into a rocket, ultimately leading her to see the sun. While the voice acting is acceptable, the lack of facial expressions is comedic.
4. Project Nexus
This short film is presented as a five-minute trailer. Unlike other TCL productions, it aims to create animated characters that do not attempt to look human. The story begins with a man who discovers a radioactive rock and, after an explosion, four teenagers gain supernatural powers. They use their abilities to escape from prison, but the narrative ends abruptly with a "to be continued." Despite an intriguing plot, the combination of animation and lackluster voice acting makes it hard to enjoy.
3. The Best Day of My Life
This short film mixes documentary fiction, featuring actor Dr. Warren Brown as he recounts the dramatic story of how he lost a leg in an avalanche on Cerro Castillo in Chile. The story alternates between AI-generated images of the experience on the mountain and Brown's narration. However, it becomes confusing and surreal, especially when strange imagery is presented, such as an amputated leg and sequences of his "life flashing before his eyes," which include a zebra turning into a lion. The conclusion, where Brown describes this event as the "best day" of his life, is unsettling.
2. The Audition
Initially, this short seems to be a harmless comedy about an actor auditioning for a demanding director. However, the plot deteriorates into rare and unfunny attempts at humor. As the director asks the actor to adopt different accents and appearances, the story becomes even more absurd. Eventually, the actor magically transforms to meet all the director's demands, only to be rejected because the director is looking for something "different." In an unusual twist, clones of the actor are rehearsing in the waiting room.
1. The Slug
This short is disturbing, comparable to a Kafkaesque work generated by AI. The protagonist suffers from severe arthritis and struggles to contact her family and doctor, but to no avail. She feels trapped at home, leading her to place a slug outside her window. As the story progresses, her limbs become covered in slime, and her body eventually transforms into a slug. This metamorphosis culminates in a disturbing scene where she, now transformed, slowly escapes her home just as someone responds to her call.
