Presumably the last two men on Earth, Ray and Billy (Sterling K. Brown as Ray and Mark Duplass) as Billy are trapped in a biosphere. Ray is a logical, innovative scientist and Billy is an emotionally-grounded Republican (and former president of the United States).
This simple premise is all that we’re given as the film begins as you, the viewer, are thrown into the middle of the lives of these two men with no explanation or context. In doing so, Biosphere causes you to eagerly pay attention to every single conversation, awaiting any nugget of information that could shed light on their current situation, including the mystery of what happened outside the dome. Immersed in total blackness, the viewer is left to all possibilities for their predicament, including adrift in space itself.
Without giving too many spoilers, Biosphere may be one of the strangest movies in years. Although the film’s trailers suggest strong sci-fi elements to it, the film takes turns that you won’t believe. Overall though, the film is based on the belief that the impossible can happen, fueling the film with an optimism and hope for the future. What’s more, the film delves into the relationship between Ray and Billy, who grew up together, and explores what they believe about each other and how they’ve treated each other to this point. Most surprisingly though, the film is also a take on the idea of identity, including gender fluidity. This unique twist within Biosphererecognizes that people are fluid in their beliefs and willing to change their ideas about themselves more than one would expect.
Biosphere premered at TIFF ’22. For more information, click here.
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