Hot Spot review: New film explores a dark future where AI controls society
By The New York Times, August 21, 2026In this Polish feature, an artificial intelligence system rules over a downtrodden population. Trouble arrives in the form of Rana (Noomi Rapace).
In a postapocalyptic future where citizens sync their minds with an authoritarian artificial intelligence system to survive, a detective investigates a murder at a refugee camp.
That’s about all I understood of “Hot Spot,” one of the most baffling movies I have seen in years. Emerging from the depths of its dystopian nonsense, I couldn’t decide whether the movie was inane or admirable, given its apparent indifference to making any sense.
Here’s the gist: Djonny (Andrzej Konopka) is a private eye who lives with his technophobic wife, Ayka (Reika Kirishima), and their son, Zen (George Aurimas Cris), in a society where water is scarce and an intelligence network reigns.
Trouble arrives in a group of outsiders led by Rana (Noomi Rapace), who refuse to merge with the mainframe, despite it being the law.
Witchcraft plays a role, somehow. So do scenes involving psychedelic singing. Rana’s rebel faction is a familiar trope, echoing those in epics like “Star Wars” and “Dune,” although here, the head scarves and chanting take a turn toward Orientalism.
The film’s retro-futuristic aesthetic channels the ’80s: “The Final Countdown” plays over the opening, while the mulleted Djonny wears a sporty jumpsuit and white patent-leather boots.
Perhaps the director, Agnieszka Smoczynska (“The Lure”), sought to evoke B-movies from the era like “Escape from New York.” But “Hot Spot,” with its arcane rules and stilted exposition, is closer to a video game or a lucid dream than a worthy science-fiction entry. Waking up should come as a relief.