S1m0ne

S1m0ne (2002) is Andrew Niccol's satire about fake fame, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Al Pacino stars as a washed-up director whose temperamental lead storms off the set days before the studio pulls the plug.

Out of options, Viktor Taransky gets his hands on software that builds an actress from scratch. He calls her Simone. She is flawless, photogenic, endlessly cooperative, and completely synthetic. The film she "stars" in becomes a sensation. Crowds adore her, reporters chase her, every producer wants the next picture. The only catch is that Viktor invented her, and keeping the lie alive starts swallowing his whole life.

Niccol, who wrote Gattaca, sketched the debate over digital performers and manufactured celebrities a full two decades before it arrived for real. Pacino plays the role somewhere between farce and quiet panic, with Catherine Keener and Winona Ryder sharpening the joke about how Hollywood mints its stars. Stream S1m0ne (2002) online on iFILM.