MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 7, 2023: BIOSPHERE
“Life finds a way.” This classic line from Jurassic Park is referenced more than once in director Mel Eslyn’s Biosphere, and there couldn’t be a more apt way to summarize the story of this quirky, unexpected dramedy about two lifelong best friends (Mark Duplass, who co-wrote the film with Eslyn, and Sterling K. Brown) who may be the last people left alive on Earth after an unspecified planet-ending disaster.
Billy (Duplass) and Ray (Brown) seem to be living together more or less in harmony as Biosphere opens: They go for daily runs around their compact home, do chores, cook meals, and talk about video games (especially Super Mario Bros.). Their conversations reveal that Billy was once the president of the United States and that he maybe, possibly, probably is responsible for the events that led to their current circumstances — and that Ray, Billy’s friend since childhood and a brilliant scientist (and former presidential advisor), is the one who saved them both by designing the biosphere.
But even Ray’s meticulously created sustainable environment isn’t perfect: One day, the last of their female fish goes belly up, and Ray fears it could be the beginning of the end. Nature, however, has other plans for the fish — and for Billy and Ray. Without revealing details of the plot’s more surprising twists, suffice it to say that the film explores everything from spontaneous evolutionary change to gender identity to embracing the unknown and more. It also takes a thoughtful look at the topic of male friendship, and both Duplass and Brown give excellent performances.
Biosphere marks Eslyn’s feature debut, and it’s a promising one. She makes good use of her single set and her two stars, creating a chamber piece that has nuance and visual interest. Many excellent films have been made in which two characters talk to each other about their relationship and the state of the world (recent examples include Duplass’ own Language Lessons, which he made with co-star/co-writer/director Natalie Morales during Covid lockdown) — when they’re done right, as Biosphere is, they’re just as compelling as a big-budget spectacle. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Sherin Nicole We’re not sure what disaster befell them, or why the two are left alone inside a geodesic fallout shelter of their own making, but we are immediately intrigued by this buddy-dystopian. As the two men (Mark Duplass, Sterling K. Brown) push the limits of their tiny world, it becomes apparent we’re watching a longtime friendship on the verge of either destruction or metamorphosis- Biosphere is an exploration of both. The demise of the rest of the world is not as important as life’s insistence on persisting or how true intimacy exists beyond the fraternal, romantic, or sensual. We soon learn it is compassion, chaos, and catharsis. When their existence and their understanding of what is possible is threatened, the two men must adapt in very different ways. Gender binaries and social-conditioning fall away and ‘what’s next’ becomes a question of how far the pair is willing to go. In Biosphere, the setting is a cinematic snowglobe; writer/director Mel Eslyn and co-writer Duplass shake it up to show how our emotions and identities come falling down.
Nell Minow: Biosphere thoughtfully explores themes of friendship, resilience, and gender, with touching, lived-in performances by Sterling K. Brown and co-screenwriter Mark Duplass that ground the story.
Leslie Combemale Talk about “the audacity of hope”…that’s what Biosphere is all about, but really, it’s about so much more, and is also unlike any other film you might have seen, especially from the post-apocalypse genre. At its best, though, it’s a fascinating inquiry into masculinity and gender. There are some truly awkward and, in terms of performance, magical moments between Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown as Ray and Billy. The beauty of Duplass and director/co-screenwriter Mel Eslyn’s script is how well the heavy lifting, in terms of examining toxic masculinity, homophobia, and bigotry, is balanced between the two characters. They journey together on quite an arc, and that journey is one very much worth taking for viewers of the film.
Jennifer Merin Director Mel Eslyn’s Biosphere is a wonderful addition to the cannon of Mark Duplass-produced quirky and profoundly satirical films. Duplass and Sterling K. Brown deliver brilliant emotionally rich performances that embrace the sheer absurdity of the narrative as though it is absolutely real. They’ll turn you into a believer of the preposterous. And you’ll alternatingly laugh and tear up all the way. Read full review.
Loren King Mel Eslyn’s feature debut as director and co-writer (with star Mark Duplass), Biosphere is an original twist on the ‘sole survivors of the end of the world’ trope, as “dudes” Billy (Duplass) and Ray (Sterling K. Brown) gradually question their own masculinity as they experience “accelerated evolution.” It’s as outlandish as it is often funny. The longtime friends and colleagues survived the apocalypse — with hints that Billy, once the ineffectual US President, is the one responsible — in the dome engineered by Ray. As a mysterious green light illuminates the darkness outside their bubble, the fish they raise and feed on have started to mutate. Soon, the same starts to happen to Billy; he’s developing female genitalia. The guys just might save humanity if they can get past their gay panic. This oddball film nods to Waiting for Godot and the stage musical The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville. Duplass and Brown may not sing and dance but their chemistry and camaraderie holds this two-hander. Despite the film’s far-fetched notions, they are winning as the only lovers left alive.
Nikki Fowler: Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass are a delight to watch as Ray and Billy, the last two men on earth scrapping at survival in a very tech savvy biodome in this Mel Eslyn debut sci-fi comedy that makes you rethink whether real-life pandemic isolation was really all that bad. There’s no one else left on Earth, folks. I can’t deny I had a bit of angst during the beginning of the film as the direction and performances were spot on. With a doomsday black sky outside and a water filtration system that may be failing, you can’t help but feel uncomfortable for the two survivors and wonder what would you even do if thrown into the same situation. It was the quirky and charismatic performances along with the well written humorous screenplay that warmed my soul as these two, now even more closely knitted friends, contemplate survival, life, friendship, gender and masculinity; sometimes over a game of Mario Brothers. The duo have great chemistry as they contemplate what’s happening to their last organic rations as well as their own biological evolution with some laugh out loud moments. Brown and Duplass are simply exceptional. The only possible downside to Biosphere is that some of you may have a few unanswered questions when it all ends; but isn’t that truly the best kind of art?
Sandie Angulo Chen: Writer-director Mel Eslyn’s feature directorial debut, Biosphere, is a funny and fascinating two-hander starring Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown as the last two men on Earth. Set in the near future, the story follows the two best friends in post-apocalyptic captivity together. The two actors are brilliant in it, having conversations about everything from Kiss of the Spider-Woman to Super Mario Bros. while also dealing with some major life-changing events outside and inside the titular, self-sustaining biodome. It’s a movie that will make audiences think about evolution, political and environmental disaster, gender roles, sexuality, and (as with Manuel Puig’s book), intimacy in close male friendships.
Liz Whittemore Two distinctly fleshed-out male characters complement one another with their genuine presence for each other. Writer-director Mel Eslyn and co-writer Mark Duplass give a duality to the dialogue that is beyond clever. Biosphere is an undoubtedly slick mashup of gender identity storytelling, politics, and faith in humanity. Breezy, charming, touching, and completely unexpected, Biosphere mixes hope, science, and comedy. There is nothing else like it. It is a weird and wonderful wow of a film, brimming with delicious feminist energy. Read full review.
Cate Marquis Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown star as the last two people left on Earth in a not-too-distant, post-apocalyptic future, in the sci-fi fantasy comedy Biosphere. One of the men, Billy (Duplass) was the President of the U.S. at the time of the apocalypse, and the biosphere that sustains them was created by and is maintained by the other, Ray (Brown), the President’s advisor and his life-long friend. These two men have existed in the biosphere for years, going about a daily routine of jogging, tending hydroponic vegetables and a fish pond, playing Mario Bros, and watching movies, while avoiding thinking about a future where the last two people are both male. When their last female fish dies, leaving just two male fish, it sparks an existential crisis for the pair. Yet an unexpected event offers a chance to adapt and evolve. Mark Duplass co-wrote the script with director Mel Eslyn, and Biosphere explores friendship, gender and masculinity in a film that is funny, insightful, and human.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Biosphere
Director: Mel Eslyn
Release Date: July 7, 2023
Running Time: 106 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Mark Duplass, Mel Eslyn
Distribution Company: IFC Films
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Nikki Fowler, Pam Grady, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
