Artificial Justice

Simón Casal – Spain, Portugal 2024 – 99 minutes – spoken language: Spanish, with English subtitles

In the near future, Carmen Costa, a distinguished judge, has been invited to assess the Artificial Intelligence software that the Spanish government aims to use, pledging to effectively automate and depoliticise the justice system. However, when the THENTE 1 software’s creator Alicia Kóvack is found dead, Carmen realises her life is in danger too and that she will have to fight the powerful interests that are at play in the highest echelons of the State.

Galician Simón Casal takes the debate about the boundaries of Artificial Intelligence one step further in a gripping thriller of political conspiracies. The fact that the story is set in the near future adds a feeling of urgency; the discussions on AI eerily resemble our realities and the overloaded judicial system appears familiar. Actress Veronica Echegui, playing Carmen Costa, is the pivot of the conflict: she wrestles with her loyalty to the late top executive of the company, but also with her belief in a humane jurisdiction. Carmen’s inner process carries the film and gives a human face to an important technological issue.

This feature film in the Movies that Matter on Tour series will be introduced and followed by a discussion, led by Luuk Stellinga, who works at WUR and is specialised in the philosophical and ethical aspects of Artificial Intelligence. Subtitles and discussion in English.
With the On Tour program, Movies that Matter organizes screenings with in-depth programmes in The Netherlands and online. They do this in collaboration with a diverse array of organizations and companies. Among other things, they also organise the annual Movies that Matter festival in The Hague.