Biosphere

Ray (Sterling K. Brown) and Billy (Mark Duplass) are best friends and last people on Earth. They survive under a dome built by Ray. They rely on fish farming for food, but the last female fish just died. Eventually, their fishes will run out and so will they. Somehow, life finds a way.

This is an indie from Mel Eslyn and Mark Duplass. It's a two person play and a high concept sci-fi post-apocalyptic flick. It starts with some mildly humorous best friends banter. It turns into an one-joke concept. I would like the premise to have a more specific scientific explanation. I doubt that the film cares that much about that. They are playing this for the comedy. It's awkward. It's uncomfortable. It's cringe comedy and only slightly funny to me.

Greetings again from the darkness. 'Life will find a way.' The iconic line spoken by Jeff Goldblum in JURASSIC PARK (1993) fits right into this offbeat science-fiction film from writer-director Mel Eslyn and co-writer and co-lead actor Mark Duplass. You may not be familiar with indie filmmaker Eslyn, but Duplass has built a career by specializing in projects that rip us out of our comfort zone, and then force us to consider a topic from a new perspective ... as evidenced by films like CYRUS (2010) and CREEP (2014).

The pre-credit opening scenes quickly establish the personalities of Ray (Sterling K Brown) and Billy (Duplass). Ray is a dedicated and serious scientist, while Billy is the former US President (likely inspired by George W Bush). The two are lifelong friends who have been living a few years isolated in the biodome created by Ray. We are to assume these are the final two human survivors on Earth, and we may also assume they are still alive thanks to Ray's ecosystems of fish for protein and plants for nutrients.

Initially, this gives us the appearance of a buddy film as the two men share a morning jog and discuss the dynamics of Mario and Luigi. It's the first of our clues, along with Billy reading "Kiss of the Spider Woman", and the repeated viewings of LETHAL WEAPON. However, the tone shifts pretty quickly with a certain development in the fish habitat. It's best to avoid any further specifics on where the story goes from here, because although there are leaps of faith that must occur by viewers, the core elements raised here are certainly unusual.

A recurring gag about a magic trick with a bowling ball (and its thud), and an ever-present green light in the sky, punctuate the Ray and Billy chats centered on philosophy, gender roles, friendship, masculinity, adaptation, and of course, survival. This is termed a "two-hander" since only two performers make up the entire cast. Sterling K Brown and Mark Duplass are both likable actors and they expertly overcome any shortcomings in the script. And despite those flaws, you'll likely carry on some internal discussions with yourself long after the final drop.

Opening on July 7, 2023.

Before screening this film at The Toronto Film Festival, the presenter asked the audience not to spoil it. This request limits the possibility of a thorough review, as there is not much that can be said about it's plot without giving away it's one trick pony.

Genre-wise, the film steers between sci-fi, drama and grotesque comedy, relying on a single outstretched joke that becomes quite tiresome after multiple iterations. Some members of the audience were laughing throughout, but it may have just as well been a coping mechanism to deal with content that wasn't entirely easy to stomach.

There wasn't any actual beginning or an end, just references to a backstory that was never fully explored. There was no resolution offered here either, making it feel as though the writers have given up halfway.

What did hold this together and stopped me from walking out (in addition to my middle row seat), was the excellent acting by Sterling K. Brown & Mark Duplass. They were extremely believable, despite the ridiculousness of the plot, adding to the overall atmosphere of discomfort that it evoked.

It's an interesting premise. The strength of this film is the way the setup and characters back stories are disbursed very gradually, a drip at a time, which keeps your attention. In the end though, the set up doesn't really matter a whole lot.

When the main thrust of the narrative becomes clear, rather than running with it and guiding us towards a memorable conclusion, the film chooses to go with blandness, presumably hoping we take the non-committal ending to be open and courageous, and not simply uninspired.

Good performances, good ideas, good direction. The story was just a little too weak for me.

Sterling K Brown is always a pleasure to watch he is so good at his craft. This could easily have been a stage play with its simple yet thought-provoking ideas on gender, humanity and friendship. In fact, it probably would have received better reviews as a play! Mark Duplass creates a claustrophobic, moody atmosphere on a small set that focuses on big ideas. At the same time, it's ironic humour cuts through it's serious side. Leaving lots of unanswered questions, don't expect deeply researched scientific theory, nor good science fiction. I enjoyed it for the acting and deep it's ideas on gender and humanity.