Let’s take a look at the real meaning behind Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal’s latest film the enemy.
The movie follows troubled couple Han and Junior, who live on a farm on a future Earth where the planet is slowly dying. Both are surprised when Junior is drafted to work on the space station.
Instead of leaving the chicken alone for two years, she has a human surrogate—one that viewers unwittingly meet in the very first scene of the movie.
The meaning behind the enemy
A lot goes on inside the enemy-But what is it really?
First and foremost, the overall meaning of the film focuses on one’s complacency in relationships and how people can get caught up in bad situations.
As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that the partnership between Hen and Junior is not the best. While they were once in love, it no longer seems so.
The couple’s relationship is put to the test when Junior is drafted to work on the space station for two years.
While he’s away, Hen stays with the human substitute of Junior, who is essentially her husband’s AI recreation.
It is only by spending time with him that the hen truly realizes her situation on the farm, as she begins to fall back in love with the man she once married. Sadly, this replacement husband of hers is put down inhumanely when the real Junior returns.
This haunting sequence makes it clear to Han that she is trapped in his relationship and has been for some time.
After the original Junior has been home for a while, the situation deteriorates to the point where Hen decides to quit once and for all. But she has one more gift for Junior: a replacement version of herself.
It is understood that he quickly becomes aware that this new hen that appears is a substitute. But it doesn’t seem like he cares much at all.
For him, this is the perfect wife – obedient and always on the same page as him. He can live contentedly on the farm without a care in the world.
It’s easy to get comfortable in a familiar dynamic, and it can be hard to realize when a situation might be painful—especially when one half of the equation is completely satisfied.
Sometimes, tough decisions are worth making. Admittedly, however, there are not always human substitutes for giving to those in need.
A conversation about AI in Pho
Then, of course, there is the heavy commentary on AI and its use in society the enemySeeing as how the core of the movie revolves around the literal replacement of a man.
It is worth noting how difficult it is to see any practical world where the situation is explored the enemy will never be considered the right idea. This generally diminishes any impact this story has on the subject, but it remains interesting nonetheless.
The world is reaching a tipping point where it has to grapple with what AI is and how close it can come to humanity.
The most important scene from the enemy The entire AI is focused on conversion when the replacement junior is stripped and put down. While the audience knows he is nothing more than an artificially created robot, he seems no less human, something that is not lost on the characters.
That robot made Hen reconnect with her humanity, giving her the kick she needed to finally leave Junior and find self-fulfillment.
The pressing question now becomes: Is there even a reason to continue trying to distinguish between AI and humanity, or are they close enough to be the same?
the enemy Currently streaming on Prime Video.
