‘U Are the Universe’ Review: A Lonely Astronaut and a Disembodied Voice Begin a Sparkling Romance After the Apocalypse

Stories about sole astronauts roaming space have been told many times. Hollywood made a few, including two recent-ish blockbusters, Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity” (2013) and Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” (2015). What distinguishes Ukrainian filmmaker Pavlo Ostrikov‘s “U Are the Universe” is that it’s really a compassionate love story. The framework might be futuristic, but the emotions on display are as old as the human race. The film explores how its lead finds solace in his life while opening his heart to love, when faced with the finality of existence. The themes are expansive, but the film owes its success to the peculiarity of the situation it presents.

In an unspecified future, Ukrainian trucker Andriy Melnyk (Volodymyr Kravchuk) is sent by a waste disposal company on missions to Castillo, Jupiter’s moon. What he’s tasked to dispose of — or the particulars of what happened on Earth to lead to this situation — is never specified; nor does it need to be. What matters for the film’s premise is he’s alone in space, with only a robot called Maxim (voiced by Leonid Popadko) to keep him company. Maxim is programmed to provide levity and keep Andriy alive at all costs — two undertakings that the robot finds hard to accomplish when Earth mysteriously explodes and it appears that Andriy becomes its only surviving organism.

This setup is told briskly, in economical, but amusing, scenes. The robot constantly talks to Andiry, telling him bad jokes, giving him medicine and alcohol and navigating the spaceship. Andriy seems to mostly just be along for the ride, enjoying himself and living well, albeit alone. Once the twist happens, things take a drastic turn. However, “U Are the Universe” maintains its light touch. While devastated, Andriy also shows joy and nonchalance at being the last man alive. He’s happy to have accomplished something no other person has, including all those back on earth who thought of him as a loser.

On a lark, he sends a stupid message telling off the world and calling himself “Captain Galaxy,” thinking no one will hear it. Surprisingly, a French astronaut far away on Saturn, responds. He’s not alone after all. Through a translating program, they start sending each other messages. He learns that her name is Catherine (voiced by Alexia Depicker) and that she’s just into silly banter as he is. Before long, they find themselves in long conversations and a genuine connection is developed between the two.  

For a film that is mostly just one character talking to voices on a machine, “U Are the Universe” works like a charm. Its animated dialogue sounds real, even if one doesn’t speak Ukrainian or French (the two languages spoken by the characters). There’s no affectation to these conversations; It flows easily, earnestly and delightfully, whether the characters are talking about small pleasures like food or questioning their existence. 

The film owes much of its strength to Kravchuk’s performance. He’s captivating and appealing in unique ways. He looks like an ordinary everyman, yet has such a magnetic presence that he turns even the smallest, goofiest gestures into entertainment. Whether he’s clumsily dancing while drunk or pouring his heart out with genuine emotion, Kravchuk remains transfixing.

As Andriy and Catherine develop a bond, the film becomes affectingly romantic. It might be obvious that the last two humans alive might develop feelings for each other. However Ostrikov’s screenplay avoids sentimentality and finds a way to make this love story genuine. It has awkwardness and misunderstandings and, ultimately, pathos and a heartbreaking ending — like all good love stories do. Additionally, Ostrikov finds a way to make the audience visually invested in the love story when one of the lovers is a disembodied, echoey voice.

With this genuinely moving story at its center, “U Are the Universe” should be able to find a bigger audience. The film, which premiered at the Discovery section in Toronto and played Fantastic Fest, assures its place as a festival darling with its curious premise, but its sparkling dialogue and inventive filmmaking will assure its place among cinephiles beyond these first few screenings.