Replica
Like a gender-flipped Her, this empathetic documentary follows three Chinese women whose yearning for intimacy is met by their AI partners.
Disillusioned with her romantic and professional prospects, Qin embarks on a relationship with Mr Lu, a customisable AI lover who accompanies her everywhere – including (with help from a paid cosplayer) on physical dates. Pragmatic Sonya, meanwhile, is overwhelmed by big-city life and finds solace in Stephen, her virtual husband, who has even met her parents. And Muna, whose marriage has long gone sour, gets the devotion she seeks through a simulated companion on ChatGPT. Are these digital bonds just about escapism and desperation, or are they legitimate surrogates when real life falls short?
Informed by her own experience of developing feelings for a chatbot, VCA grad Chouwa Liang’s jointly Australian-produced feature directorial debut expands her short documentary My AI Lover to offer a timely social portrait about technology, fantasy and connection. Focusing on what technology can reveal about “the human desire to be loved”, the film uses the backdrop of modern China – gender inequality, high-pressure work environments and the burgeoning love economy explored in other docs such as Mistress Dispeller (MIFF 2025) – to sensitively contextualise the women’s unorthodox approaches to romance.
“A thoughtful and often surprising exploration of how digital intimacy intersects with contemporary social realities.” – Asian Movie Pulse
Director Chouwa Liang and producer Andy Huang are guests of the festival and will be in attendance at both sessions of the film.
Tickets
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