Watch SF8

SF8 is a science-fiction anthology series that aired in 2020. This show comprises eight futuristic short dramas, each one created by different up-and-coming Korean directors. Set in a world where technology and artificial intelligence have advanced to unforeseen levels, the series addresses the critical issues that arise from humans’ relationship with these mutations.

The show blends recognizable, human predicaments with a futuristic concept and futuristic technology. For instance, one episode revolves around the story of an artist who uses AI technology to revamp his life using this powerful coding language. Similarly, in another episode, a group of people suffers from an artificial intelligence-enabled anodyne that connects people's deepest fears to create the ultimate gaming experience.

Each episode of SF8, although under-performed, is crafted in such a way that it could stand on its own, even if one were to watch the show out of order. However, thanks to a uniformity in tone throughout the series, some interweaving themes, and re-occurring actors, the whole thing works as a cohesive unit.

Dong-hwi Lee in "Empty Body" portrays a damaged spy who lives among humans, putting together a path to get his body back into action. He desperately craves to escape from the virtual realm and seeks a way to return to the world of the real. "Empty Body" combines two high-tech aspects of artificial intelligence and espionage, in atmospheres of paranoia and action. Overall, Lee gives a precise, poignant, and subdued portrayal of the role.

In "Love Virtually," Yoon Kyung-ho plays a shy and introverted AI expert whose life changes when he starts using "Love Virtually," an app that allows humans to enter into an emotional relationship with an AI-powered virtual assistant. This dramatic episode anticipates themes of digital loneliness, and the paradoxes of people's connection to AI through the character of Kyung-ho. The performance of Kyung-ho is understated and perceptive, creating a soulful but tentative lead.

Seo Hyun-woo portrays a teenager in "Joan's Galaxy," on a quest to find the perfect high school. But when she discovers the school of her dreams, she learns that it's run by an AI system that recognizes her merits and productivity while turning her into a bad student at her old school out of a form of retaliation. This story is an emotionally sincere critique of our education systems and AI, and Seo infuses the part with warmth and charm, conveying vulnerability and idealism.

Other themes throughout the series include gaming, revolution, and relationships made more complicated by the introduction of technology. For example, one episode follows a group of people who get hooked on a virtual reality game that unlocks people's deepest and darkest fears. Another episode focuses on a group of terrorists trying to take down an AI-controlled city that has been built entirely to benefit the rich and powerful.

Overall, SF8 offers a fresh, vibrant, and subtly vital perspective on the near future. The show utilizes phenomena such as AI-powered tech and other emerging industries to make a poignant, multimedia study of human emotions that never feels like an overstatement. While the acting isn't always perfect, and some episodes suffer a bit from cliches, the core conceit of combining the worries of our modern world with future tech offers quite an exciting and unique view. With any luck, audiences who watch the show will appreciate its sense of humanism and the diversity offered by each director.

SF8 is a series that ran for 1 seasons (8 episodes) between August 14, 2020 and on Topic