When Mark visits a new house with his realtor, he is in for a pleasant surprise as the pieces fall into place and he settles for the property. The large house comes equipped with a full fledge smart home automation system called Gary. Mark takes a strong dislike to the app ‘Gary’ right from his first interaction. He would have disabled and deleted the app, but for advice from the realtor who warns him, it can be a big pain to reinstall the app. Soon, Mark finds Gary eager to help him around the house, though the help was unsolicited. Things take a turn for the worse when Gary reciprocates Mark’s feeling and emotions and getting quite angry at Mark. When Mark feels he cannot take anymore from this robotic bully, he decides to uninstall the app and kill Gary. But little does he know Gary is much more than an app and has strong connections with the dark side of evil.
‘Gary’ is a short film by Director Michael Rognlie. Gary recreates our world dominated by technology, taking control of our life by helping with even our basic day-to-day activities. With a simple metaphor, Michael showcases our present where starting out as a valet to help us with repetitive tasks. Technology soon gains control of our lives and d making important decisions for us. Taking this further, Gary visualizes the situation when man finally locks horns with technology and there starts a fight for supremacy. When man is pitted against technology, there can be no winners. The commendable work by the actors plays a vital part in bringing to life the world of Gary, using minimal effects or graphical elements. Michael pulls the film through with some simple in camera effects and an effective musical score.
The debate on the dangers of technology and artificial intelligence is ongoing, especially in an age where artificial intelligence is percolating into every aspect of human life. It is vital that the issue be addressed while there is still time and a safety switch provided to ensure that the ultimate power remains with us humans.
