When was the last time a science fiction romantic comedy was both whimsical, in a non-nauseating way and was actually heartfelt, as well as having genuine laughs? If You Were the Last should have been the breakout film of this year but instead was cruelly left to the streamers with very little flare. Unfortunately, there are genuinely great films that do the festival circuit and never get picked up by a big enough distributor who will back the film. But aside from how the film was released, this gem of a film really does lift the spirits and brings hope that there are stories out there, like this, even being made.
Two astronauts, Adam and Jane, drift throughout space. After their multi year mission is derailed, mostly due to their deceased crewmate Benson, Adam and Jane, over time wonder if they will ever be rescued, discuss life, love and the pros and cons of them having sex with each other. All the while falling in love, but unsure if the other feels the same.
Setting any sort of story in space comes with the expectation on how a sci-fi should look like, but what If You Were The Last offers is something a bit extra. All the tech on the ship, resembles something out of Wes Anderson’s or Michel Gondry’s workshops. The astronauts even have a cosy living room space on the ship, to make them feel at home, complete with watching films on cartridges. The sci-fi elements are left to the setting outside the ship and the communication set up to try and reach home for rescue. All other parts are complete rom-com beats and they are most welcome. The quirky tech and set design is not overbearing, balanced out by the two actors fantastic chemistry. Zoe Chao and Anthony Mackie are so in tune together, they do not miss a step with one another, romantically or comedically. Its almost a shame when they are eventually separated in the third act when (SPOILERS) the two make it back to Earth and their spouses.
There is a more sombre element to the story, these lost astronauts have only each other (aside from the ill fated Benson) and have been this way for a few years. The strain on their mental health and on their respective marriages, takes a toll. The joke about them deciding if they should have sex with each other goes past the joke stage is the really about connection. If You Were The Last is essentially a sweet story set against an incredible background, two people against the universe, and at one point Benson.