Written by Mary Jane Wolper for THE ARTISTS FORUM MAGAZINE
Edited by Amos White V for THE ARTISTS FORUM, INC
Photos: Production still from the movie Deepfake
REVIEWER RATINGS:
4 out of 5 stars
DEEPFAKE
NEW YORK, NY (September 14, 2026) — THE ARTISTS FORUM was invited to attend the World Premiere of Deepfake at the Angelika Theatre during the Tribeca Festival in New York City on June 6, 2026. Written and directed by Matt Eames and produced by Federica Mary Lai, Deepfake is a feature narrative comedy presented in the Viewpoints section of the 2026 Tribeca Festival. The film stars Jessica DiGiovanni, Sophia Lucia Parola, and Jocelyn Weisman.
Everyone goes through challenging times, but our constant reliance on cell phones, apps, and online advice can get in the way of real connections and genuine emotions. This is the lesson at the heart of Deepfake.
The story begins with a breakup. Jane Kittering (played by Jessica DiGiovanni) is isolated and has no one to help her process her pain. Instead of dealing with her pain by going to a professional counselor, she finds an online company that offers best friends for hire. Jane hires Zoe (played by Sophia Lucia Parola) through BFFrs.
Zoe is ultra-positive about Jane and even starts helping her plan to open a restaurant, despite Jane having no restaurant experience or culinary background. Zoe then encourages Jane with her “Jane 2.0” idea to remake herself.
Throughout the movie, Jane has flashbacks to her relationship with Tyler (played by Nick Cabot Rodriguez), and it becomes clear that there wasn’t a real connection between them. Unfortunately, this is clear to the audience, but Jane doesn’t seem to see it.
Then Jane hires an online influencer creator named London (played by Jocelyn Weisman), with the assistance of Zoe. That’s when everything goes sideways. The influencer takes over Jane’s apartment and her life.
The best friend is very encouraging throughout this debacle. When Jane doesn’t have enough time to complete her project management work, Zoe tells her about an app where she can outsource her job overseas and pocket most of her pay. These scenes are sad but very funny as Jane interviews potential employees and eventually hires a man who clearly wants to take her job from her. Zoe briefly warns Jane about this possibility, and Jane soon finds herself in disguise whenever she talks with her employee.
The absurdity of the situation Jane finds herself in is part of the price of admission. Everything gets even more outrageous when London decides to hire a body double for Jane because Jane won’t play along with the different sponsors’ money-making opportunities.
The body double takes over Jane’s online life and then starts taking over her real life by going to her friend’s baby shower with London and Zoe. She even receives multiple invitations to future celebrations.
I won’t give away the ending, but Jane hires another best friend who is more realistic and less enthusiastic, and things get even worse.
I enjoyed the performances by the actors and found the story engaging. Deepfake takes an increasingly absurd look at our dependence on technology, social media, online personalities, and artificial relationships. Beneath the comedy is a serious reminder of how easily the digital world can begin to replace genuine human connections.
For more information on the film, visit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22463616/
See the Deepfake trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjggA6cFAlg/
For more information on Director Matt Eames, visit: https://www.meames.com/
For information on the Tribeca Film Festival, visit: https://tribecafilm.com/
