If You Were the Last (2023) Review!!

Synopsis – Adrift in their broken-down space shuttle with little hope of rescue, two astronauts argue over whether they’re better off spending their remaining days as friends or something more.

My Take – If one would have thought that there is only so much one can do with a rom com set up anymore, director Kristian Mercado and screenwriter Angela Bourassa know hit it out of the park when it comes to rejuvenating the genre, by giving it a zany science fiction twist in utterly charming fashion. Reviving the screwball formula where two people talk themselves silly, this new indie film has fun with its what-if scenario by finding an agreeable balance of quirky comedy and inherent desperation.

Yes, the terrifying scenario of two people stranded in space might remind some of the problematic Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt led epic romance Passengers (2016), but thankfully the sci-fi romantic comedy gets creative with its space aesthetic and its relationship dynamics, delivering a thoughtful and tender romance filled with heart and humor.

Sure, it stumbles upon trying to switch gears in an attempt to generate third-act depth, but the great banter and fabulous chemistry from the film’s leads keep us glued throughout.

The story follows Jane (Zoë Chao) and Adam (Anthony Mackie), two astronauts who wind up stuck between Saturn and Jupiter for three years after their spaceship’s system malfunctioned and left them stranded. Their cabin mate, Benson (Missi Pyle), is a skeleton and their spaceship, which looks and feels like a large house, with chickens, a goat, and a greenhouse full of plants, has everything they need to survive.

The two even have a daily routine; Jane tries to figure out what went wrong with the ship’s wiring, while Adam looks after the plants and goat, experimenting with a marijuana plant and blueberries.

They laugh together, banter, and do plenty of dancing, keeping each other company for years with no hope they will ever be found. One day they open a conversation about the possibility of having sexual relations. Why not, they argue, when there’s no hope for a return to earth, where they both have spouses waiting in the form of Savannah (Natalie Morales) and Tom (Geoff Stults). What they don’t expect is the deep emotional connection they might start to feel, or the possibility they’ll see their spouses again after all.

Here, Kristian Mercado directs with fine quirky style on his debut, matching debut writer Angela Bourassa‘s script that’s lighter, bright, chick-flick than legitimate sci-fi. As the film begins with Jane and Adam riffing on the plot of The Martian (2015) over a game of chess, Mackie and Chao’s charisma instantly sells the history of these astronauts’ friendship. They share quick-fire banter that keeps the story flowing quickly with effortless energy.

The writing gives them both sufficient shades and spends time detailing their pop-culture preferences making it easy to connect with their mindsets. They pass the time by giving each other tattoos, watching movies, and science experiments––while Adam is fixated on creating a blueberry plant with THC, Jane is more concerned with getting them back home by repairing the navigation system. Of course when two attractive people who might be stuck together in close quarters until death start thinking about that fact, it naturally leads to the conversation of having sex, setting off a two-week debate over the benefits of skin-to-skin contact.

She, naturally, is afraid it’ll lead to feelings as they both have significant others waiting on earth. In early scenes, it’s impossible to imagine these two getting together even though their conversation flows so easily that director Mercado occasionally has to shut it off so we can feel the pang of its absence.

Ironically, their bond seems too intimate — not just brother plus sister plus dog, but also best friend, workout buddy, dance partner, dinner date and science specialist charged to keep the other alive. They need each other like oxygen; adding sex would be too much to inhale, the nitro in their air tank. As the narrative furthers, writer Bourassa’s screenplay unravels a complex observation of human connection. Through Jane and Adam, the story questions if the condition for people to seek companionship is relative.

Complementing the budding romance is the retro ambiance that director Mercado infuses into the visual style and backgrounds. The visuals exude a Wes Anderson-esque charm; the colors are rich and bright, making the environs of the “space box” really appealing. He adds varying animation styles and techniques into each visual facet, including the astronaut’s ship and Earth being clay mated stop-motion, their DVD and Music Players taking on the form of NES cartridges, and an expressive 8-bit AI that’s always smiling.

The film could have easily become grim, especially with the amount of time Jane and Adam have been in space on their own. Luckily, director Mercado and writer Bourassa imbue the story with enough spirit and heart to keep the characters’ hopeless circumstances at bay. They manage to find clever ways to keep the characters entertained despite the setting. A key shift in the film’s final act also gives the story a refreshing new direction that proves game-changing for Adam and Jane, especially as it delves into the consequences of their decision and of being away from Earth for so long.

Performances wise, both Anthony Mackie and Zoë Chao are fantastic. Mackie and Chao are wonderful together, and their chemistry is palpable, a mixture of maudlin and tender, sexy and fun. Their connection is well-developed and the actors excel in their roles, leaning into the playful bond between Adam and Jane, the sexual tension that builds over the course of the film, and the friendship at the core of their dynamic. In smaller roles, Geoff Stults and Natalie Morales provide good support, while Missi Pyle appears only in a scene. On the whole, ‘If You Were the Last’ is a charming sci-fi romance that is elevated by its wonderful performances.