Exclusively in theaters January 19th.
It’s the classic tale of humanity. When you dig deep and throw away all semblance of civility, we’re all savages that will do anything to survive. “I.S.S.” is a mean but thought provoking science fiction thriller that teeters on the edge of horror quite often. It’s that classic post apocalyptic tale about man kind resorting to desperate measures to stay alive; by the end of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s film, the whole setting of science and technology are merely props meant to spread a cloak of the nastiness that humans are capable of. “I.S.S.” is one in a trend of post apocalyptic movies that don’t really fetishize the idea of the end of the world, but depict it as a waking nightmare.
Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling from insurmountable destruction, the six US and Russian astronauts aboard each receive orders from the ground from their respective governments; take control of the station by any means necessary.
“I.S.S.” almost resembles a feature length “Twilight Zone” episode as Nick Shafir concocts a screenplay that feels almost reminiscent of Richard Matheson at his peak. So much of “I.S.S.” revolves around tensions that eventually boil to the surface, and boy, do the tensions boil to the surface faster than anyone can anticipate. Once it becomes apparent that the world is possibly at end of its life, every character in the film revert from friendly colleagues to a potential saboteur. Shafir dresses “I.S.S.” in modern social and political themes establishing American and Russian astronauts, and conjuring up overtones of xenophobia and classism all in an eventual fight for life.
Although they do get off on the right foot at the outset (there’s a tender moment when they all ironically bond over “Winds of Change”), there is a sense of mistrust and paranoia lurking underneath. Once both pairs of astronaut commanding chiefs get their orders to seize the I.S.S., it becomes a race to see who can seize control, and who might die a pointless death in what is probably the last power struggle for the human race. The tight cast of six (including John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Pilou Asbæk, Costa Ronin, and Chris Messina, respectively) all brings collectively strong performances, including Ariana DeBose who is the central protagonist of the cast. “I.S.S.” is very much an unforgiving parable about mankind and revels in being as bleak as possible.
Despite being mesmerizing and often times utterly anxiety inducing, director Cowperthwaite builds a harrowing tale that offers up no easy answers, and zero empathy for anyone on board the I.S.S. Because, at the end of the day it could be either one of us fighting for a chance to see tomorrow.