Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska's (The Silent Twins) new film Hot Spot takes place in a dystopian world where AI has enslaved humanity and subjects people to untold horrors. The new film stars Noomi Rapace, Andrzej Konopka, and Reika Kirishima and promises to portray a chilling, apocalyptic future. Kiska Higgs, president of production and acquisitions at Focus Features, which has picked up the film,
Hot Spot is set in a near-future society where sentient AI has subjugated humanity. Rapace plays a private investigator recruited by the AI to solve a murder and, in the process, uncovers an underground rebel faction set on bringing down their digital rulers. The script was written by Robert Bolesto, who also wrote Smoczyńska's 2015 film Lure. Smoczyńska said in her own statement:
I’m honored to work with Focus Features. Their remarkable achievements in film are matched only by their unwavering respect and support for directors. With Hot Spot, my goal is to create an immersive cinematic experience that captures the essence of today’s world, where advanced technology feels like magic, and love is intricately tied to fear.
Some of Poland's best filmmakers, such as Andrzej Wajda and his film Man of Marble (1977), and Ryszard Bugajski with his film Interrogation (1982), tackle torture, censorship, oppression, and state-controlled terror in Post-Stalanist Poland in a beautiful and gripping way. The idea of Smoczyńska bringing this historical and cultural awareness to the ramifications of AI in the modern world will be exciting to see. Not to mention, star Noomi Rapace has some experience in post-apocalyptic thrillers herself, starring in Netflix's most-watched international thriller of all time. Hopefully, this combination of talent will prove to be an incredible match once Hot Spot reaches theaters.
The film just wrapped production in Greece. It is being produced by Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, who also worked with Smoczyńska on The Silent Twins. Focus Features has picked up worldwide distribution for Hot Spot except for Poland, Greece, and France. No release date has been set for the film yet.