Artificial Insanity

Directed by Neil Evans

2026

White Tree Moving Pictures

Artificial Insanity takes the concept of an AI takeover and places it within a 5-minute sci-fi comedy short.

Written and directed by Neil Evans, Artificial Insanity follows a man (Anthony Webster) whose internet has stopped working. When he calls to get it fixed, he’s met with the voice of an AI chatbot (Natalie Nightingale) who tells him that the wait time for a human representative is 5.6 months. The film is intended to be a dramatized comedic commentary on the frustrations of facing digital chatbots and automated menus before reaching a human customer service representative.

I had many questions which were left unanswered by the end. For starters, it's contained within a single room reminiscent of the 1970s – large plants, tropical plant wallpaper, an old tape recorder, rotary phone and what appears to be a vintage kettle. For a film commenting on AI, I thought this was an interesting, albeit confusing, choice for set design. Even our unnamed human protagonist wears a suit indicative of the era.

Whether this creative decision is intended to be ironic or not is slightly unclear. The man is seen interacting with his environment, like pressing down on the tape recorder and punching the rotary phone, but the call he has with the chatbot is done by twisting the ring on his finger whilst making a phone hand gesture over his ear.

And he accesses his computer screen seemingly in thin air. Perhaps when the man pressed down on the old tape recorder in the beginning, that’s what enabled him to access the internet? This is just speculation though, as the director leaves this ambiguous. Regrettably then, I found the mix of the old-fashioned set with the futuristic technology created a sense confusion.

The choice to use manmade sound effects is another aspect of the film whose comedic intention remains unclear. Unfortunately, the sound design felt weaker than it could have been with the protagonist’s voice muffled and unclear at times. While the manmade sound effects were loud in comparison, so sadly this short film didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

I think the concept of Artificial Insanity has real potential, but delivery needed improvement. The film could have been longer than five minutes to use more time to pace the plot as well as develop the narrative further.

Watching Artificial Insanity didn’t feel like exploring a comedic sci-fi commentary on technology in the modern age, but sadly rather like five minutes of random events that lacked much-needed storytelling. 

★★

2 / 5

Angelique Ritter

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Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this review belong solely to the author. While the writer found audio elements understated, the film has received industry acclaim for its audio design, including a nomination for Best Sound at the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards.