Body Electric (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Body Electric reworks an iPhone 15 commercial into a compact performative essay about smart homes, virtual assistance and the promises attached to ambient intelligence. Mike Hoolboom’s three-minute Canadian short uses a direct address to question security, efficiency, predictive analysis and the unseen systems behind data-driven convenience.

Body Electric is a 2026 Canadian short film directed by Mike Hoolboom. Running for three minutes and presented in English, it reworks the imagery and premise of a new iPhone 15 commercial, shifting its focus toward the systems and promises surrounding connected domestic technology.

Rather than treating ambient intelligence as a neutral convenience, the film frames it through a direct address from a virtual assistant. Its short form supports a concentrated, essay-like approach to questions about automation, data collection and the language used to make technological change feel reassuring.

Body Electric movie details

Story without spoilers

The film begins from the idea of a singing wall socket in an iPhone 15 advertisement, then redirects that material through a different song associated with the early Vito Acconci playbook. From there, a virtual assistant speaks directly to the viewer or listener, presenting the claimed benefits of a connected environment: security, fast response, predictive analysis, microgeneration and efficiency.

Body Electric places those promises alongside what it describes as “funwashing” messages from the cloud. The result is a brief performative essay about domotics—the automation and networking of domestic spaces—and the relationship between users, data harvesting and an always-listening technological infrastructure.

What to expect

At three minutes, Body Electric is a compact experimental short rather than a conventional narrative film. Its approach is rooted in reworking advertising material, direct address and performative essay, with the virtual assistant serving as the central speaking presence.

The film’s subject is the rhetoric of ambient intelligence: the way connected systems promise safety, speed, prediction and efficiency while raising questions about surveillance and data collection. Viewers can expect an idea-driven piece focused on smart-home technology and its persuasive language, not a character-led storyline or an extended plot.

Cast and creative team

Body Electric is directed by Mike Hoolboom. No cast or writer credits are supplied in the available details. The film’s central voice is described as a virtual assistant addressing the viewer or listener.

Release and production context

Body Electric is a Canadian production in English. It has a listed release date of October 27, 2026, and a runtime of three minutes. The film is marked as Released and is classified in the supplied information as a short work, although no specific genre is listed.

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Body Electric uses a very brief running time to examine the promises and implications attached to domestic automation. Its advertising rework and virtual-assistant address make the film a focused reflection on ambient intelligence, data harvesting and the tension between technological convenience and constant listening.

Film data:
TMDB