History Film / Simulant

Simulant is a 2023 science fiction movie with cyberpunk elements.

SIMULANTS is a 2023 science fiction movie with cyberpunk elements.

It is the future and RidiculouslyHumanRobot devices called Simulants are commonplace. Each of them must obey four precepts that are similar to Asimov's laws of robotics. A police officer named Kessler (Creator/SamWorthington) is a member of AICE (Artificial Intelligence Compliance Enforcement) with the job of hunting down renegade simulants. After capturing a robot named Esme (Allicia Sanz), Kessler is stunned at how human she was and believes this represents a threat to humanity.

Meanwhile, a painter named Faye (Jordana Brester) has recently lost her husband, Evan (Creator/RobbieAmell), in a car accident. Having a robot replacement, she struggles to reconcile her feelings with the machine that is close but not quite identical. Troubled by his malfunction, she contacts a repairman named Casey (Simu Liu). Casey is actually a hacker who is attempting to free simulants from their slavery. He is also a former designer of them.
But does Evan want to be free?

* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: Is Evan going to be with his wife in a HappilyEverAfter situation or is his obsessive nature something that will destroy their relationship as well? Especially when she finds out he murdered her biological self.]]
* AmbiguousSituation: Are the Synths actually sentient? They can love and have desires but these are the things they are programmed to feel. However, they are all obsessive about certain things like Evan and his wife. [[spoiler: Which results in him murdering his wife.]]

* TheFarmerAndTheViper: [[spoiler: Averted. Evan initially plans to save Kessler's life but a short conversation with him convinces him that Kessler can't be trusted. Interestingly, Kessler doesn't even try to argue and has a HeelRealization.]]

* FantasticRacism: Kessler struggles with his loathing of synths that even his own partners find excessive.
* FreudianExcuse: Kessler's son apparently died in the care of a Synth babysitter and this is why he hates them.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Evan says that he believes in the soul and that androids should be considered equal to humans. [[spoiler: He murders Faye so he can be with her robot doppleganger.]]

* KirkSummation: Evan calmly explains to Kessler why he's going to [[spoiler: leave him to die. Since helping Kessler would just result in him betraying him.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Kessler has this reaction when he [[spoiler: wipes Esme.]] Sadly, it doesn't last.
* ReplacementGoldfish: This is a use that some couples have for Simulants. Evan and Faye created doppelgangers for themselves in case one lives. However, when Evan actually dies, Faye is creeped out by the similarities as well as differences both.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: The Simulants are capable of emotion, sex, and limited amounts of desire.
* SuddenDownerEnding: [[spoiler: Evan ends up murdering "his" wife by drowning her and then activating her simulant to take her place. This is quite shocking given his otherwise NiceGuy persona for the rest of the movie.]]

* UncannyValley: Faye is offput by the subtle differences between her husband and his doppelganger. Part of this is due to the fact he must obey all of her commands but also that it is just profoundly creepy to her that he's walking around.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: Whether the Sixth or Seventh Generation Synths will be free or just destroyed.]]

* AmbiguousSituation: Are the Synths actually sentient? They can love and have desires but these are the things they are programmed to feel. However, they are all obsessive about certain things like Evan and his wife.

* TheFarmerAndTheScorpion: [[spoiler: Averted. Evan initially plans to save Kessler's life but a short conversation with him convinces him that Kessler can't be trusted. Interestingly, Kessler doesn't even try to argue and has a HeelRealization.]]

--->"Ones and zeroes. Ones and zeroes."
* InspectorJarvert: Kessler's desire to track down Desmond/Casey is an obsession driven by his own FreudianExcuse and FantasticRacism.

* ThreeLawsCompliantRobot: The four precepts are close enough to Asimov's laws as to be a clear inspiration but have the clarification they will only obey their owners. They also must obey the law, which is perhaps more reasonable.