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A forthcoming short film titled “Road Rage” is casting autonomous vehicles in a new light—as cinematic antagonists. The production, currently seeking $40,000 in funding through Kickstarter, depicts a high-speed chase through San Francisco between a human ridehail driver and a sentient robotaxi that turns hostile after a minor traffic incident. The premise reflects how autonomous vehicles have rapidly evolved from futuristic concepts into real-world fixtures in American cities, becoming cultural touchstones for broader anxieties about technological disruption.
Director Romain Thomassin has designed the autonomous villain as an imposing machine featuring cold LED lighting, cameras, and a rotating lidar sensor atop its roof—a deliberately menacing interpretation he describes as a “nasty Waymo.” The film intentionally contrasts this artificial intelligence with its human protagonist, Joa, a Mexican immigrant driver navigating an increasingly expensive San Francisco. This clash represents deeper societal concerns about job displacement, surveillance, and the transfer of critical decision-making authority from humans to machines.
Beyond addressing job competition between human workers and autonomous systems, the film taps into public unease about the pervasive surveillance capabilities embedded in autonomous vehicles. Covered in multiple cameras and sensors, these cars constantly monitor their surroundings—a reality that unsettles Thomassin more than the prospect of driverless transportation itself. By positioning a robotaxi as the antagonist, the production capitalizes on existing public apprehension while drawing parallels to technological disruption occurring across multiple industries, including filmmaking.
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Originally reported by Theverge →
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