The series is called Rematch. In a fluid and punchy production, it delves into the psyche of champion Garry Kasparov, known for having faced – and defeated – IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer in 1996, before suffering a defeat the following year in the rematch. The first two episodes, with their lively rhythm, were widely applauded during their world premiere, at the Séries Mania festival, in Lille, at the Nouveau Siècle auditorium. They particularly resonate in 2024 in a West obsessed with and often worried about advances in artificial intelligence. Can the machine “beat” the human? we asked ourselves in 1997. Can it surpass it and make it obsolete? we say more often today.
We didn’t really see this ambitious collaboration coming from Quebec director and actor Yan England with French producer Bruno Nahon. The miniseries, which England is directing and which he co-wrote with Quebec screenwriter André Gulluni (Robotic portrait), toured in English, although produced in France by ARTE, is nevertheless a large-scale production dedicated to international distribution. A first for England, who works mainly in Quebec, but who reveals to us that he has maintained a fruitful professional dialogue with Europe since the international success of his short film Henryin 2011. The nugget film made its way to the Oscars, but left empty-handed.
Mania series, already a consecration
“I am really delighted that the series is being presented at Séries Mania in international competition,” enthusiastically says the actor and director, whom we meet at his hotel a few hours before the very first screening. “I knew that the festival was unmissable, but I didn’t know to what extent it is visible and omnipresent in urban space. I really feel a palpable commitment from the city dwellers who are vibrating in tune with the event. »
Séries Mania is in any case today a key element of the global television ecosystem, its influence reaching far beyond France and Europe. Quebec is always well represented there – this is also the case this year – but few local directors are present in major French productions as is the case of Yan England, chosen to write and direct this series because of his appetite for themes of competition and confrontation. Those who have seen his feature films Sat And 1:54 know how much the director loves stories of pugnacious athletes and surpassing oneself. So is Garry Kasparov, the chess champion, an athlete? “I think so, absolutely,” replies Yan England.
Psychological thriller
Competitiveness is the first axis on which the series focuses. Presented as a formidable adversary, Kasparov is also and above all a model of surpassing himself and intellectual and physical demands. In the performance of British actor Christian Cooke, there is an unfailing firmness, a quiet assurance which comes through a muscular and tense body as much as through a confident look. Fragilities will nevertheless gradually pierce this armor over the course of the episodes. Presented as a psychological thriller, the miniseries quickly settles into a narration of flashbacks to childhood, where we discover Kasparov’s complex relationships with his parents. Constructed like a web of secrets which are revealed little by little, the work benefits from a jerky production and a nervous editing which hits the mark.
“The narrative really unfolds in several layers,” England explains. There is the confrontation itself, with what chess implies in terms of mathematics and intellectual engagement, which I sought to embody in a concrete way. There are also the psychological ramifications allowing us to tell the story of the character, his extraordinary and brilliant mind, his taste for competition. »
He continues: “Finally, in the background, there are the fascinating technological advances driven by IBM, at the heart of a 1990s decade where they were sometimes greeted with fear. Let us remember the fear that the Y2K bug inspired in us at the time! Computers were still very mysterious for many of us and sometimes provoked unreasonable reactions. »
Human vs artificial intelligence?
When England started writing Rematch, more than six years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT and generative AI were not as democratized as they are today. “We had the instinct that a series reflecting on the power of the ancient supercomputer Deep Blue would be enlightening in the context of the advancement of AI,” summarizes the director. But we had no idea to what extent! »
What did he learn about AI by diving into Deep Blue’s belly? “That these intelligences are created by humans and are not likely to surpass them as long as we know how to make them act within a controlled framework! It’s natural for humans to worry when advanced technology can do surprising things. But the entire history of technological developments confirms that humans remain in control. We must remain vigilant, but the machine that completely devours and crushes man is science fiction! »
Rematch, in any case, is betting on positioning humans overlooking the machine. “It’s a series about strong and powerful characters, from Kasparov to the young brain behind Deep Blue and the vice-president of IBM, who pulls some of the strings. They are the stars. Not Deep Blue. »
After its first screenings at Séries Mania, the miniseries will land on ARTE in France and Germany, then on the European platforms of HBO and on Disney+ in the United Kingdom. Broadcasting agreements with Quebec and North American broadcasters are being developed.
Our collaborator Philippe Couture is staying in Lille as a guest of the Séries Mania festival.