Artificial reviews single out Yura Borisov as AI drama’s real star
Artificial’s first reviews single out Yura Borisov for his portrayal of Ilya Sutskever as the OpenAI drama prepares for its UK screenings.
Artificial has finally been seen by critics, and Andrew Garfield isn't the only performance attracting attention in Luca Guadagnino's controversial OpenAI drama.
Fresh reviews following its New York Film Festival premiere are singling out Anora star Yura Borisov, who plays OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.
Yura becomes the film's moral centre
While Garfield portrays the company's public-facing boss, Borisov's Ilya provides a very different route into the story. The film follows the computer scientist from his early enthusiasm for artificial intelligence towards growing concern about where increasingly powerful technology could lead.
The Hollywood Reporter praised Borisov's performance while describing Ilya and Garfield's character as ethical opposites, while another review called Borisov the film's “true star”, praising the way he charts Ilya's gradual loss of certainty as ambition, money and safety collide.
Early reaction to the film itself has been similarly striking. Critics have variously described Artificial as funny, unsettling and frightening, with particular attention being paid to its depiction of the small group of people making decisions about potentially transformative AI technology.
That gives UK audiences something different to watch for when the film reaches London. Borisov broke through internationally with his Oscar-nominated performance in Anora, and Artificial places him at the centre of another major awards-season film.
Artificial screens at the BFI London Film Festival on 11, 15 and 16 October. A wider UK cinema release follows in January 2027.
Images: AP News.
