Luca Guadagnino's new film, Artificial, has spawned rave reactions upon its premiere.
The film stars Andrew Garfield as OpenAI co-founder, Sam Altman.
Neon will push Garfield in the Best Supporting Actor race as part of a widespread campaign.
Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial premiered at the New York Film Festival Monday night. Rave reviews have poured in, billing the Sam Altman-centered movie as a “provocative,” “bone-chilling” and the director’s “best film in a decade.” Artificial reunites Guadagnino with Andrew Garfield, who last worked with the director in 2025’s After the Hunt.
In Artificial, Andrew Garfield portrays OpenAI founder Sam Altman, who was briefly removed from the company in 2023 following a dispute with its board, which included Elon Musk at the time. Altman returned to his position just five days later after the dramatic leadership shake-up.
Variety’s Clayton Davis wrote that Artificial is “Guadagnino’s best film in a decade” and “Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov soar to new heights. Loved.” Editor Eric Kohn called the film a “pitch-perfect dark comedy.” “Andrew Garfield walks a fine line between movie monster, buffoonish mogul, and evil genius. A fun/scary ride that embodies the paradox at its center,” he wrote on X.
Artificial Draws Early Rave Reactions
Next Best Picture editor-in-chief and critic Matt Neglia wrote that “Artificial” is “as entertaining as it is terrifying.” “It’s a brilliantly written human story about power, control, ambition, and greed that might be the most urgently relevant film of our time. Andrew Garfield delivers one of his most unsettling and transformative performances as Sam Altman, equally capturing his disarming charm and unnerving malice.”
“Guadagnino guts Silicon Valley with his obsessive pulse & a powerful farce in which Andrew Garfield completely shines,” also raved film critic Jairo Jimenez. “A feverish, visceral corporate drama that proves what is truly artificial was never in the machines, but in the boardroom. An essential film.”
For the film’s awards push, Garfield is set to compete in the Best Supporting Actor category. He has two prior Best Actor nominations. Yura Borisov, who portrays OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, will be put forward in the Best Actor category. He bagged a supporting actor nomination for Anora. Oscar winner Mark Rylance, who plays AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, will also compete for supporting actor alongside Garfield. Monica Barbaro, who portrays former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, will be considered in the Best Supporting Actress category.
