Tag: scifi

It was time to change it all. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” (“Deux personnes échangeant de la salive”, 2024)

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directed by Natalie Musteata & Alexandre Singh
© 2024 The New Yorker. All Rights Reserved.

Probably the best short film I’ve seen in years! Period. Now go and watch… You’re still here? Ugh, fine. So let me tell you shortly why you must see this one. It’s a dystopian story about a world where intimacy is a crime. Kissing another person is forbidden, so nobody brushes their teeth in order to discourage potential physical contact. In the same world, people don’t use money – instead, they are being slapped in the face. The more expensive the service, the bigger number of slaps. In case you’re confused, I’m a huge fan of dystopian productions, so to me it’s incredibly interesting! Anyway, we need a protagonist – and that’s Malaise (Luàna Bajrami), a young woman who’s just got a job at a fancy departement store. One day, she meets an important client, Angine (Zahra Amir Ebrahimi), a wealthy housewife that spends a lot of money on shopping there. Malaise approaches her quite directly, which surprises the cutomer, but at the same time catches her attention. From now on, Angine requests Malaise to be her personal assistant during shopping at the store. The connection they’re bulding doesn’t look that professional anymore and the chemistry is quite visible. But how to get intimate in the world deprived of it? Even though the idea for this story might seem ridiculous, I absolutely loved it. First, the value of money is presented as physical violence that people accept. To me, it’s a visualisation of how much we sacrifice to get the things we want. Perhaps we’re not being slapped in real life, but just think how much energy and effort you put into earning money that you later spend. Isn’t it some kind of self-violence as well? Second, we get a strange picture of forbidden attraction, which reminds us how ridiculous it is to restrict people from loving who they want. In this case, the two ladies cannot deepen their relation because of the silly kissing rule. It is aburd, isn’t it? So now, let’s return to our reality – isn’t it absurd to stop two people of the same sex to love each other? Do people of different sexual orientation than hetero must put on masks and pretend to be someone else? Do they need to “eat garlic” and “avoid toothpaste”? Can’t even describe how much food for thought this short film has given me and I really hope you will find a moment to see it. My absolute winner this year!

My rating: 9/10
S.

There’s one winner and no finish line. “The Long Walk” (2025)

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directed by Francis Lawrence
© 2025 Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved.

It’s a film about walking. Period. Can’t remember more accurate title of a film to be honest. It’s literally a looooong walk. But I’m still writing about it, which means I liked it, right? Right. And I believe you should try it as well. Before watching the film, I actually decided to read the book it’s based on. The title is the same and it was written by Stephen King, under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. I like to read books first, because then I can imagine the story myself. However, if I watch the film first, later, I just see the same pictures while reading. So I grabbed that novel and hoped for a fun ride, but instead I got incredibly bored. The general idea is amazing, but the way it was written – it was really difficult to keep on going. Even though the book is pretty short, it took me a long time to finish it. So I was quite discouraged before watching the film, but luckily, the adaptation is way better! We move to some alternative times where the US is in a huge economic crisis. Therefore, any way of earning money for living is worth trying. Any. In order to give people a chance to improve their life and also to entertain everyone, there’s a long walk organised. 50 young men (in the book there are 100) voluntarily sign up to walk nonstop across the country. Sounds easy? Well, there are some rules to follow. You cannot stop, you cannot walk slowly, so basically you cannot rest. And if you do, you get a warning. What happens after the 3rd warning? Well, the volunteer finishes the walk… and his life. Where’s the end of this? Simple – wherever the one before last dies. There can only be one winner. So as I said, I loved the idea for this story. To be honest, that’s exactly how I imagine the future – people will be doing anything to survive. Perhaps such long walks become an actual tradition… You may think it’s insane to sign up for something like this, but if the prize is huge and can significantly improve your life, then you don’t think twice. However, if you don’t like reflecting on such future, I may also share that to me this long walk is a metaphor for coming of age. All the volunteers are young men who see it as a competition, but then, during the walk, they start learning life lessons – both heart-breaking and uplifting. Just like in life. And it kind of depends on you how you walk your way, but there’s also a lot that cannot be controlled. Wait, is it again a depressing interpretation? Damn, I guess it is. Anyway, the film is much better than the book (I’m sorry Stephen/Richard), because I actually felt engaged in the story and not bored by the fact they’re just walking. Also, the ending is different in the film and, in my opinion, waaaay better! So if you haven’t read the book, you may skip it. But if you have and didn’t like it, then give this adaptation a chance. I hope you won’t be disappointed.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Welcome to the headquarters of the human resistance. “Bugonia” (2025)

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directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
© 2025 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

With each new film, I like Lanthimos more and more. I have to admit that I wasn’t such a big fan of his productions before. To me those were good ideas, but in the end I was a bit disappointed with the final outcome. However, his latest films are totally my cup of tea, and “Bugonia” excited me way more than I’d expected. At the beginning, we follow Michelle (Emma Stone), who’s a CEO of a pharmaceutical company, and one day she’s kidnapped by two men – Teddy and Don (Jesse Plemons & Aidan Delbis). When the woman wakes up in a basement, she notices that her hair has been shaved. One of the kidnappers explains that it’s to prevent Michelle from contacting her ship. If you feel confused, no worries – that’s the point. Generally, Teddy believes that he detains an alien who, together with its alien buddies, wants to destroy humanity and… honeybees. And since Teddy’s hobby is beekeeping, then you understand it’s clearly necessary to do something about it. As ridiculous as it seems, the film is fantastic. At first, you have no idea what’s going on and you feel like you’re missing something, but in fact, it’s just such a weird story. Then, you may start questioning the genre of this production, because at one point you laugh, at another you are concerned, and then, when you think nothing will surprise you anymore, Yorgos decides to blow your mind. Personally, I still don’t know exactly what this film is about. Of course, I have lots of scenarios in my head, but I guess I don’t feel like choosing just one option. Also, after watching, I recommend you to read a bit about the ritual of bugonia, so you can find out where the title comes from. It actually helps understanding the whole story, but make sure to watch the film first. Is it the best picture of 2025? I don’t know, but surely it’s on top. Should Emma Stone get another Oscar? I believe so. Maybe I’m not being objective because I adore her as an actress, but she again showed a new set of skills in building the character of Michelle. So if she ends up with her 3rd Oscar, I wouldn’t complain at all. Also, the marketing team did a great job. Apparently, you could find fake materials online about the Michelle’s company and herself. Plus, in Los Angeles there was a special free screening of “Bugonia”, but in order to see the film, you had to be bold. They even provided a barber at the entrance so you could shave your head on the spot. I love it! Would you shave your head?

My rating: 8/10
S.

This is to imagine a world where human beings cease to be human. “The Invasion” (2007)

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directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
© 2007 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

It’s important to promote female protagonists, you know? And I’m actually glad to see a woman in a leading role here, especially since in the 1993 version we had the female pioneer. So, since I’ve already mentioned, this time we follow Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman), a psychiatrist, that starts to notice a strange change in behaviour among people. All that is caused by some fungus-like creature that has recently ended up in the USA from space. So again, same story, but this time in another form. The first adaptation was more of a drama, the second more of a sci-fi, the third definitely a horror, and this one I’d say is a very decent thriller. It’s way less scary than the last one, but quite dynamic and full of suspense, so even though there’re aliens in the background, you may forget about the sci-fi origin of the story. In fact, I rather focused on analysing the meaning of humanity and what makes us human, which brought me back to the version from the 50s. This film is also a very good representation of this genre in the 00s, because it’s not complex, we may easily guess what happens next, yet we have fun and enjoy a bit of thrill. And that’s exactly what this film is. However, if I may complain (and of course I can because it’s my blog), I definitely didn’t like the ending. I know, I know, classic American story, but hey – look at the previous versions. And if you still haven’t joined my marathon of body snatchers, then that’s the final sign for you. We’re ending here and I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey through years and genres. If you expect me to say which adaptation is my favourite, I must be honest – no idea. To me, they are so different, that it’s impossible for me to compare. Each film has something I appreciate and something I’d personally change. Does it mean we need another adaptation? Maybe a musical this time? Imagine smooth jazz singers in the background while a human is being infected by the fungus alien… Don’t laugh, some people may actually take it as a serious suggestion. So if anything like this becomes a reality, then… you’re welcome, I guess.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Where you gonna go, where you gonna run, where you gonna hide? “Body Snatchers” (1993)

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directed by Abel Ferrara
© 1993 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

Still not tired of our body snatchers? Then let me introduce you to the most disgusting adaptation, which is much more of a horror than a sci-fi to me. So in case you’re planning a family afternoon with a film – try something else. This time we move to a military base, where soldiers are being replaced by our well-known aliens in a seed pod form. The only way to distinguish real people from imposters is that the first ones can actually express emotions, which makes setting the film’s action in a military base quite funny. I mean, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never seen soldiers as the most emotional people, at least not showing them that directly. Anyway, we follow Steve (Terry Kinney), who’s an agent sent to examine the ecological influence the military has on the surroundings. He moves there together with his family and, as you can guess, they are about to be next victims of the body snatchers. Doom, doom, doom. As I said at the beginning, this film is the creepiest of them all. Some critics say the plot of this part is the weakest, and I kind of agree, but the horror vibe makes up for it. I was actually positively surprised, because watching another similar adaptation would put me to sleep. Yet, this one kept me entertained. In fact, you may observe an interesting change in the narration here. As in the two previous adaptations the scientist/doctor was the protagonist, here, at some point, we get a new leader – Marti (Gabrielle Anwar), Steve’s daughter. And it’s not only a pleasant surprise in this production, but also a significant part of a revolution in horrors. You see, in old horrors, the protagonist was very often a man, while in the 80-90s the filmmakers wanted to create more female characters in this role. Marti is a perfect example and I just adore how she becomes the protagonist at some point instead of being one from the very beginning. So as you can see, even while watching angry aliens destroying humanity you may learn something about the history of cinema. And if you survive this adaptation, there’s one more waiting for you. Stay tuned!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Sleep and be born again into a world without fear and hate. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)

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directed by Philip Kaufman
© 1978 United Artists. All Rights Reserved.

Continuing our adventure with body snatchers, today I’m recommending you the film made in 1978, which in my opinion is the most sci-fi of them all. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching sci-fi films from the 70-90s and anything made back then seems more interesting to me when it comes to this genre. I don’t know. Anyway, if the version from the 50s wasn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry and try this one. The story is the same, yet there are slight changes that make the film more dynamic and futuristic, I’d say. So we get to learn that some aliens need to leave their own planet and they travel to our lovely Earth to settle here. And if you’re used to seeing aliens as creepy creatures with big heads and black eyes, let me say that these aliens are way more… sophisticated. They arrive in a form of seed pods with flowers. Isn’t that cute? Wait till they eat your brains and take over your bodies… Anyway, one scientist analysing the strange plant decides to bring it home (how thoughtful!) and show it to her boyfriend. How surprised she is when the next day the man is acting weird. That’s why you shouldn’t take work home, people! Elizabeth (Brooke Adams), the irresponsible scientist with silly ideas, asks her friend Matthew (Donald Sutherland) for help. The man obviously recommends her boyfriend to meet a psychiatrist, but soon more extraordinary things begin to happen and it seems like not only that poor guy might need mental health support… I wasn’t that engaged in the psychological reflection as I was while watching the previous version, but I was definitely more entertained. This film is a classic sci-fi from that time of the cinema and I’m not surprised it’s the most popular version of them all. Is it the best? I wouldn’t say so, because to me each version is unique in its own way and I hope that thanks to those posts I’m sharing you will notice that as well. What I absolutely loved about this film is the ending. Just please, don’t search for it – watch the film and let it surprise you! And if you’re hoping for some chills, see you next time for the most horror version of the story…

My rating: 6/10
S.

I’ve seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)

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directed by Don Siegel
© 1956 Allied Artists Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

November is this gloomy month where we’re still in Halloween mood, yet Christmas is knocking on our door. Since the atmosphere is already spooky, let me spoil you with four films telling basically the same story, just in four different ways. Boring? Nah, trust me, you may have fun. Especially if you’re a cinephile who enjoys films not only for their plots, but also for all the technicalities. I watched all four films one after the other and I believe recommending you the same marathon is actually interesting. Let’s start our journey from the oldest film, which is the one made in 1956. We move to Los Angeles where a man named Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is in hospital claming that people have been replaced by impostors. In order to understand the patient better, he is asked to explain everything step by step – and that’s how we also learn the whole story. In fact, Mr. Bennell is a psychiatrist himself and at work he started meeting more and more people suffering from Capgras delusion – which is believing that someone in our surrounding is an impostor. Sounds like a typical day in a psychiatric ward? Sort of, but things get complicated when Miles finds strange bodies without any features. Is it true? Are people actually being replaced by some mysterious creatures? Well, that’s for you to see, but considering the title of the film, the answer is obvious. It’s labelled a horror, but to me it felt more like a drama/action production. I didn’t feel this sci-fi or horror vibe, which is perhaps because I watched it 70 years after the releasing. However, I could observe the real drama going on in the characters’ heads. I mean, to me it was more of a story about identity and humanity crisis than a horror that anyhow scared me. Still, even though it’s not the spookiest thing I’ve seen in my life, I enjoyed it and I recommend you to experience the dramatic adventure. This film is the most dramatic of them all – next ones will be creepy, strange and terrifying. Get ready for a ride!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Today, I want to talk to you like a dead man to other dead man. “Dead Man’s Letters” (“Pisma myortvogo cheloveka”, 1986)

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directed by Konstantin Lopushansky
© 1986 Lenfilm. All Rights Reserved.

Once again, thanks to Klassiki team, I had a chance to discover a film that I’d probably never choose to watch myself. But luckily, there’s a platform where you can see such slightly forgotten and sometimes difficult to find gems. I didn’t know what to expect from this production, but it turned out to surprise me on several levels. Generally, the film is set in the future after a nuclear war. The world is completely destroyed and those who survived have to stay underground in bunkers, because the atmosphere is too toxic to go outside. If you decide to leave the bunker, you must wear special clothes and a mask. So staying underground becomes an everyday reality. And in this reality we get to meet professor Larsen (Rolan Bykov), a physicist, who constantly writes letters to his son, Eric. Even though he’s never come back home, the professor believes he’s still alive somewhere there. Those letters help him express his emotions and stabilise his mental health in those specific circumstances. Plus, for us, viewers, he becomes a quite original narrator, helping us understand what kind of world we’re looking at. If you expect some dangerous creatures or brain-eating fungi, then it’s not this kind of story. Here, we just observe people dying. Because even if they are not contaminated, they are slowly dying due to loneliness, fear and uncertainty. They know that it’s the end and the world they used to live in doesn’t and won’t exist anymore. So we observe people without any chances to improve their life. They just exist and wait for death to come. The way this film makes you feel disturbed is incredible. I had chills, especially since anything can happen and perhaps in the future that’s what life will look like. The production design is marvellous and makes the picture complete. The helplessness is screaming from the screen and there you are – a viewer from the future (the film was made in 1986), worried that what you’re watching might become your own reality. That maybe one day we’ll be all “dead people” just surviving another day and hoping for some miracle. This film is a quite extraordinary experience, so I highly recommend it, but mind the fact it can really test your sensitivity. Let’s hope such reality never finds us.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Our entire life is a punishment. “Mickey 17” (2025)

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directed by Bong Joon Ho
© 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Lots of people are disappointed with this film, but I’m here to support it and actually recommend it to you. It’s the kind of sci-fi that I personally really enjoy watching, because it plays with my mind, emotions and morality, so if you also like to be “played” by filmmakers – voilà. We move to 2054 where a man named Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is a member of a colonising crew. Some years before, a team of people decided to conquer an ice-planet called Niflheim and the mission continues. Mickey’s job is quite controversial because he has to risk his life on a daily basis. Well… not even risk it – he goes to work in order to die. Before you lose your mind trying to understand, let me explain: Mickey gets incredibly difficult tasks to do thanks to which the crew learns about the new planet. If there’s some unknown place to explore or some substance to try – Mickey is the guy. How is it possible this guy is still alive? The answer is: reprinting. When Mickey dies during a mission, his body gets reprinted, so basically they create Mickey’s clone. But what’s quite innovative is the fact that his original memory stays. So even though Mickey has been reprinted several times, he’s still the same person, who remembers all his deaths. Yeah, that’s the creepy part. Things get complicated when Mickey survives one mission despite being considered dead and the crew reprints him before he even dies… Are you still following? If not, you must see the film to clear things out. Anyway, I love the idea and I had a lot of fun watching this production. Pattinson is great as Mickey, who’s slightly goofy and naive, so I was quite surprised. Personally, I wouldn’t have guessed the actor could do well with such task, but he nailed it. There are lots of hilarious moments, but there’s also the other side, which definitely caught my attention. You see, in such reality, Mickey becomes a lab rat, who is pushed to doing things others wouldn’t even dare trying. Of course, he can be reprinted, so basically he’s immortal, but the memories are saved, which means all the deaths stay with him. Some might be quick, but others are long and painful. It’s terrifying to imagine. In fact, Mickey, in my opinion, represents all the animals that humans torture in order to receive certain answers. Just in Mickey’s case, he gave his consent. Animals cannot do that. And animals cannot be reprinted. It’s just another film showing how cruel and selfish humans can be. Yet, it’s told in a fresh and quite interesting way, so to me – this is a cool sci-fi production that you should see.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Iris, go to sleep. “Companion” (2025)

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directed by Drew Hancock
© 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Monday always sounds like science-fiction to me, so I guess recommending a sci-fi film would make it complete. If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you already know that I’m a fan of quality sci-fi, especially the one that touches human nature and psychology. And before writing today’s post, I was wondering whether I should tell you the whole truth about it or not, but I guess it’s not something I can keep to myself and literally every description of this film spoils the first plot twist. So, we meet Iris (Sophie Thatcher), who’s a companion robot (boo, the tiny spoiler). Meaning, she was bought for the sake of keeping a lonely man company. And who’s that man? That’s Josh (Jack Quaid), who apparently isn’t attracted to women that think for themselves and he likes to take control even of the partner’s brain. Sounds like patriarchy may hit another level in the future… Anyway, Iris doesn’t know that she’s a robot, but she’s soon to find out. The couple spends some time at a lakehouse, where a horrible thing happens to Iris (come on, I have to keep some secrets for you to see) and when she seeks for support from Josh, he instead shuts her down. When she wakes up, that’s the moment when everything becomes clear. The woman doesn’t want to be controlled so she steals Josh’s phone (with which he controls her) and runs away. But will a robot survive in a human world? Doom doom doom… Listen, I had a lot of fun watching this film, because I just adore such stories. However, except some funny moments and simply entertaining plot, I see a lot of education happening here. My sarcastic comment about patriarchy hitting another level wasn’t far from the truth. We can already observe how difficult it is for men to get into healthy relationships these days and one of the reasons is that they can’t control women as much as they could in the past. Now, with an equal partner, some of them get lost, scared or even frustrated. So obviously, such companion robot will exist some day to fill in this gap. Some men just need a servant that looks good, praise them no matter what and doesn’t bother them when it’s not needed. Before you consider me a toxic feminist let me just add that women may have very high expectations that lead to intimidating men and embarrassing them in their eyes. A fact is that there’s something really not right in current relations, but seems like technology is here to help. “Help”. To me Iris represents women that finally realise what a shitshow they’re living with their partners and they decide to change their lives, even though the new beginning seems like an abstract idea. And I swear, the final scene of this film is such a cherry on top, which perfectly presents what it’s like to be a woman with “experience”. Loved it! And I loved Sophie as Iris – she was magical. You didn’t even need to read anything before because from the first minutes of the film you can already see she’s not 100% human. Those absent eyes, stiff body language – all that was both subtle, yet present. Great performance. And I really hope you will see what our future will sooner or later look like. Should we be scared or relieved? No idea anymore…

My rating: 7/10
S.