Movie Review: Computer Chess

Photo courtesy of producers Houston King and Alex Lipschultz

By Callum Glennen

?You know what I think the future of computers is? Dating.? The programmers chuckle at the thought of it. The computers they are tinkering with aren?t capable of beating a human at chess yet, but the future looks promising. With period cinematography and deliberately sloppy editing, Andrew Bujalski?s latest film shines as a surreal look backwards to the dawn of the digital age where the future seems limitless, the present is restrained by the current technology, and the humanity of artificial intelligence is in question.

In the early ?80s, the brightest minds in chess programming pit their machines against one another in the pursuit of innovation and victory. During the nights between games, increasingly bizarre events occur to and around the programmers as they wrestle with what the future holds for their machines, and artificial intelligence being more human than their socially awkward creators.

While not a documentary, Computer Chess starts out pretending that it is. Shot entirely on a camera from the ?60s in black and white, it gives the impression that it was found buried in one of the now ancient machines that is the subject of the film. Often out of focus, continually grainy and occasionally out of sync audio adds to the dated effect. It?s satisfyingly effective, and exaggerates how old the machines in question are.

It?s quite different to other recent films looking at the history of computer technology. While the nerds of modern culture are quick-witted and endearingly eccentric, the stars of Computer Chess are awkward, shy, and struggle with simple human interaction. It?s a completely different representation of the modern rock star geek.

None of the main actors are professional and the film was entirely improvised. This creates genuine awkwardness, and it fits almost perfectly with the type of programmer it is trying to reflect. Additionally, with little direction was given as to what the plot of the film even was, the actors seem even more surprised than the audience. While occasionally it does come across as inexperienced acting, those moments are few and don?t distract much.

Computer Chess is not an easy film to categorize. It is not about the history of computers, and it?s not really about the people who made them. Instead, it is obsessed with showing the line between computers and man, and asking whether it can be crossed. Just like the outcomes of a chess game, this film is black, white and infinitely complex.

In a haze, one of the programmers poses the question: ?Real artificial intelligence, is that the same as artificial real intelligence??

Rating: VVVV

Source: http://www.voxmagazine.com/blog/2013/03/movie-review-computer-chess/

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