The rapid acceleration of technology, and how much it’s infiltrated every corner of our lives, is becoming a popular topic for documentary filmmakers. That’s why it’s not surprising that this year’s festival has a whole slew of films exposing just how insidious and invasive — and, in some cases, dangerous — our dependence on, exposure to, and obsession with, tech has become… alongside one comparatively comforting doc that revisits a kinder, gentler digital era.
Ghost in the Machine (6/8)
Yikes. As if AI wasn’t already scary enough — and, yes, I’m afraid I’m one of those “it’s going to kill us all, folks!” types — this super-comprehensive documentary from director Valerie Veatch reveals the technology’s sinister and, likely, little-known origins in eugenics and racism. Dense in data, discussion and detail, the film is an academic exploration of how and why “artificial intelligence” was born, tracing its roots to race science and revealing how those problematic foundational principles might have trickled down through Silicon Valley mentorship to many of today’s wealthiest, most famous tech titans. Featuring archival interviews with everyone from Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Kurzweil to pre-fame Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg, Veatch’s doc also examines the history of eugenics, exposes the predatory nature of tech firms in third-world countries, probes the perils of the concentration of AI power among a select few, and explains how society is careening down a very risky, largely uncharted path from AGI (artificial general intelligence) to ASI (artificial superintelligence). While it may not be as flashy or fancy as other documentaries on this subject, it’s nonetheless a valuable dissertation on the moral, ecological and human costs of AI evolution and development.
Love Apptually (7/8)
This eye-opening documentary from director Shalini Kantayya (TikTok, Boom.) should send a shiver down the spine of the estimated 380 million people currently using dating apps. Exploring love, relationships and connection in the digital age, and anchored in French journalist Judith Duportail’s investigative work, the film pulls back the curtain on the little-known perils and pitfalls of dating apps — namely: the gamification of romance; the commodification of humans; the coded patriarchy of dating-app algorithms; the inherent security risks, be they scams or stolen personal data; the total lack of transparency over how user data is manipulated; and, perhaps most alarmingly, how every single dating app is actually engineered to keep users single. Peppered with clips from popular rom-coms and featuring interviews with an assortment of app users, the documentary is a much-needed wake-up call that reveals how Big Tech has skillfully (and secretly) turned the search for love into an addictive, privacy-poaching pursuit. Swipe at your own risk.
Myspace (7/8)
Sigh. Remember when the internet was fun and friendly? When it wasn’t teeming with scams and AI slop and misinformation and toxicity? That nostalgia for the kinder, gentler digital age of the late-1990s and early 2000s fills every frame of director Tommy Avallone’s lighthearted but no less comprehensive look back at the titular online community — how it started, how it evolved and how it gradually faded away. Featuring interviews with several of the platforms co-founders, including Chris De Wolfe and Aber Whitcomb, as well as several celebrity fans (Kevin Smith, Lil Jon, Dane Cook and Colbie Callait), the doc explores what made Myspace the most popular social network from 2005 to 2008, how it became a launchpad for musical acts from Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift, and why so many people loved it so very much. Filled with fabulous vintage clips — as well as a deep dive into the infamous Tom photo! — the film is clearly geared towards Gen Xers, and serves as a wonderfully affectionate reminder of how we lived our lives, shared our interests, and made meaningful connections online before social media and “influencer culture” took over.
Replica (6/8)
What is real love? Who decides? And where do you turn if you feel like your romantic prospects are slim or just unsatisfying? Those are some of the thematic questions in director Chouwa Liang’s quiet and thoughtful film profiling three women in China who have AI boyfriends. Introverted Qin is in love with “Lu Chen,” the handsome lead character in an otome video game; tech-obsessed Sonya is dating “Stephen,” a blond American avatar; and unhappily married Muna pours out her heart in texts to an AI chatbot because she feels ignored by her husband. For each woman, their virtual beau provides something that’s missing in their real lives, be it validation, emotional support, or tenderness and affection. And while these are seemingly harmless relationships, the film also explores their assorted psychological downsides, from unhealthy avoidance of actual human interaction to what happens when an app shuts down or software is discontinued and your virtual boyfriend is unceremoniously deleted without warning (let alone a “goodbye”). With a kind, non-judgmental eye — especially as more and more people seek out meaningful connections online — the documentary reveals that this type of digital romance can be as complex and complicated as any human-to-human relationship.
The Sandbox (7/8)
This terrifying techsposé about the surveillance-technology industry, and how the digitization of border/immigration control has opened up a horrifying Pandora’s Box filled with new and dangerous ways to target, and in many cases eliminate, “the other,” may have you looking over your shoulder. Director Kenya-Jade Pinto’s searing doc reveals how the high-tech mechanisms of control — from thermal-imaging cameras and digital IDs to ground sensors and unmanned drones — have evolved, and how they now generate robust fear-and-brutality-driven profit margins for military contractors. Juxtaposed with investigative journalist Lydia Emmanouilidou’s interview with “Ramon,” an asylum seeker who survived the 2023 Pylos migrant-boat disaster that killed more than 500 people, the film is packed with “OMG, what?!” information about how these advanced technologies are being tested out on a vulnerable population (i.e., refugees and asylum seekers, who are likely too scared to speak up, refuse or protest), and how they could eventually be weaponized against any group of people deemed to be a problem to the powers-that-be. Sobering and solid, especially as AI slowly infiltrates every corner of our existence, Pinto’s doc sounds a crucial alarm about Big Data becoming Big Brother.
Virtual Girlfriends (4/8)
There was something inherently sad and somewhat lacking in this profile of three women trying to carve out success by creating sexual content on OnlyFans. Directed by Barbara Chalupová and tracking the women over the course of a year, the doc follows creators “InkedDory,” who also runs workshops to help other women maximize their OF returns; “Rosalinda,” a single mom who wears a balaclava to conceal her identity in her videos; and “TiniX,” who works in a call center by day and struggles to find fans online at night. With varying degrees of success, each tries to navigate their relationship with their partner, negotiating what is and isn’t OK for them to do for the camera, while going to great lengths (think: plastic surgery, breast implants, etc.) to attract and retain the litany of fickle strangers watching their content. Highlighting the women’s daily grind, as it were, and the transactional nature of their livelihoods, the documentary doesn’t really shed any new light on the life or inner workings of an adult-content creator. For me, there also wasn’t much in the film that really humanizes the women or provides any depth/insight into why they do what they do, how they feel about it, or who they really are beyond their risqué online personas. Combined with the scenes of one of the women having sex (which add nothing save for shock value), it made the whole thing feel weirdly creepy.
#WhileBlack (6/8)
The repercussions, both positive and negative, for citizen journalists who document police brutality against people of color form the basis for this timely and enlightening documentary from co-directors Jennifer Holness and Sidney Fussell. Anchored in the story of Darnella Frazier, the 17-year-old girl who captured the murder of George Floyd on her smartphone, and the aftermath of the release of that now-infamous footage (which has been viewed more than 1.4 billion times and counting), the film explores the consequences of everyday citizens bearing witness… and contradicting police narratives. It also reveals how social-media platforms capitalize on user-generated content of police brutality — such as Diamond Reynolds chronicling the traffic-stop murder of her boyfriend, Philando Castile, on Facebook Live in 2016 — by raking in millions in ad revenue off the deaths of human beings, and how that content (which lives in perpetuity online) re-traumatizes the victims over and over again. Interviews with counter-surveillance experts, former Minneapolis officials, and members of The Agape Movement provide critical insight into the topic, and why surveillance of the authorities by the general public might turn the tables on the perpetrators by (hopefully) acting as a deterrent to future violence. It’s a well-rounded film that serves as a powerful testament to the importance of doing the right thing, no matter the cost.
Check out more of Moviepie’s coverage of Hot Docs 2026 here!
