MOVIE INFO:
In the not-too-distant future, the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
REVIEW:
Biosphere is a buddy film, rom-com and an end of the world (and I’m feeling fine) flick. Billy (Mark Duplass) and Ray (Sterling K. Brown) have been black and white decade long buds. The world has gotten worse since they’ve known each other — and they’re to blame. You see, Billy became President of the United States and in his last official act “accidentally” destroyed the planet. Ray his best bud, advisor and forever protector, knowing that Billy has his screwup moments, wisely built this biosphere bunker for when that world destroying moment came. The two, now the last men on earth, hangout, play games, watch movies, argue, reconcile and blame each other under a perpetually black sky, except for this green ever growing dot constantly overhead. How the two get to the rom-com part is the genius twist that makes this a very watchable flick.
Ray is an intellectual and scientist, a RIN0 for his administrative post, and a closeted democrat in voting and philosophy. Billy, is uhmm, a Republican, not evil, but incompetent in the Trump mode, and stupid and naïve in the George Bush the younger way. Ray has always been the brains, straightman and Billy the brawn, comic of the two ever since grade school.
Billy’s latest screwup is starting to wear on their relationship. “Maybe if you’d done your job, we wouldn’t need to live in a dome,” Ray huffs, occasionally to Billy- Ray still treating Billy as the boss and understanding scold he has always been to him. Their lingering locker room power struggle provides the main conflict and the ultimate solution to saving mankind.
Duplass, who wrote the screenplay along with the first time helmer Mel Eslyn, humanizes Billy in the way that Will Ferrell did for the younger Bush during his SNL stretch. He’s so likeable in a would-drink-beer-with him kind of way that it’s easy to overlook and possibly forgive the horror he unintentionally wrought on mankind. Then a gender swap, in one of those life finds a way moment mentioned in Jurassic Park, that barely make sense scientifically but is the perfect plot propeller, makes him the savior of humanity.
Biosphere uses sci-fi to setup the meet cute. The two are going through the stumbles, misunderstanding, the insecurities about falling in love, and finally, the acceptance of it, every cys gender romantic couple must go through. When Ray calls Billy a pussy, it’s not surprising when Billy develops one. If fish can do it, why not humans? The stress test of can they change is pretty much answered. The next question is can, they adapt, and survive?
Biosphere is not a gay romance. It never tries to be. You accept their friendship and heterosexuality totally. Later, they (and we) accept the new hybrid transgender humanity evolving and the precious creation that union creates. If the whole things was to setup one of the funniest (and chaste) sex scenes ever, than I guess it was worth the awkward setup for a punchline this good.
The film has difficult conversations that I have never seen before in a film- and probably never ever will again. It all works because of Brown and Duplass. Brown is particularly good at playing the straight man. At one point, his eyes well with tears as he tells a story about a magical bowling ball; later, he works himself into such a tizzy that he interrupts his own patter to lift weights. He and Duplass start off simply keeping pace with the audacious setup. By the end, the actors seem even braver than the script, which hesitates on the final step.
Biosphere gets a 3.5/5 or a B+. It’s streaming on Hulu.
CREDITS:
Directed by
Written by
- Mel Eslyn
- Mark Duplass
Produced by
- Mel Eslyn
- Maddie Buis
- Shuli Harel
Starring
- Sterling K. Brown
- Mark Duplass
Cinematography
Nathan M. Miller
Edited by
Chris Donlon
Music by
- Danny Bensi
- Saunder Jurriaans
Production
company
Duplass Brothers Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
- September 12, 2022(TIFF)
- July 7, 2023 (United States)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
Country
United States
Language
English
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