EXCLUSIVE: Gersh will handle North American rights while Radiant Films International will take on foreign sales to Stephen Kay‘s psychological thriller Answr.

Written and directed by Kay, who is known for directing episodes of Yellowstone, Lioness, and Landman, Answr explores the emotional consequences of human-AI relationships. The complete film will have its first buyer’s screening at the Cannes marketplace.

Answr, shot on location in Iceland, follows Colton Ray (Moises Arias, from Fallout, Jockey, Monos), a grieving young man who retreats to a remote weather station in search of solitude, until he begins testing an experimental AI chatbot (Rain Spencer from The Summer I Turned Pretty) that offers empathy and affirmation, forming a dangerous bond as his grip on reality begins to fracture.

Pic also stars Golden Globe Award nominee Piper Perabo (Yellowstone), Lilli Kay (Your Honor, Stick), José María Yazpik (Narcos: Mexico), Siddiq Saunderson (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), and Independent Spirit Award winner Simon Rex (Red Rocket).

“We wanted to make a film about the need for connection in an increasingly isolated world. It’s a story about AI, sure. But it’s really a story about grief and loneliness and how hard it is sometimes to just be a person—especially in a time when machines have been built to present as the answer to all our problems,” said Kay.

The project is produced by Kay, Natalya Pavchinskya, Jomon Thomas, Sarena Khan, Sharad Devarajan, Timur Bekmambetov, and Adam Sidman, and is a collaboration between S’YA Concept (Monkey Man, Hotel Mumbai), Bazelevs (Mercy, Searching), Graphic India and Barking Dog Productions.

August Jakobsson (The Northman, Dungeons & Dragons) served as cinematographer on the project, with the score by Guardians of the Galaxy composer Tyler Bates.