Alex Prager's 'DreamQuil': AI, Clones, and Existential Dread

Artist Alex Prager has transitioned to feature filmmaking with her debut, "DreamQuil." Premiering at SXSW, the film stars Elizabeth Banks as Carol Gibson, who seeks an attitude adjustment at a virtual retreat called DreamQuil. The narrative takes a turn when Carol discovers a robotic clone, also portrayed by Banks, has been created to handle her difficult or boring tasks. This clone's capabilities rapidly expand, moving from mundane chores to emotional interactions, leading to escalating horror with comedic undertones.

The film cleverly uses the "Stepford wife" archetype not as a simple recycling of a trope, but as a springboard for a deeper conversation about artificial intelligence. Despite its characters and settings evoking midcentury noir, "DreamQuil" feels contemporary. References to ayahuasca trips and a young female tech CEO, reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes, ground the story in the present.

Prager, known for her psychologically charged and cinematically staged photographs, brings her distinctive aesthetic to "DreamQuil." This feature film follows her earlier success with short films, including "Despair," which debuted at MoMA in 2010. The film was co-written by Prager and her sister, Vanessa. The producers note Prager's unique ability to blend past aesthetics with near-future concepts, creating a destabilizing effect that "gets under your skin."