I.S.S. (film)
I.S.S. | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Gabriela Cowperthwaite |
Written by | Nick Shafir |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Nick Remy Matthews |
Edited by |
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Music by | Anne Nikitin |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Bleecker Street |
Release dates |
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Running time | 96 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13.8 million[2] |
Box office | $6.6 million[3][4] |
I.S.S. is a 2023 American science fiction thriller film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and written by Nick Shafir. The film stars Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin, and Pilou Asbæk.
I.S.S. premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States on January 19, 2024, by Bleecker Street. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $6.6 million.
Plot
[edit]NASA astronauts Kira Foster and Christian Campbell arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) and greet their colleagues: American Commander Gordon Barrett and Russian cosmonauts Weronika Vetrov and brothers Nicholai and Alexey Pulov. Despite the cultural and political differences, they get along well, with Gordon and Weronika having formed a romance. Kira views Earth from the space station for the first time with her coworkers, who explain the overview effect to her.
Later, she witnesses numerous nuclear explosions across the continental United States. Communications with the ground fail, but Gordon receives a coded message from the US government indicating that the Russian military has initiated a nuclear attack on the US and ordering him to take control of the ISS "by any means necessary." He discusses the message with Kira and Christian; they suspect the Russians were given a similar order. They also find the station is orbiting too low and will fall to the Earth if aid does not arrive within 24 hours.
Nicholai tells the crew that a communications antenna is broken, requiring Gordon to go outside to fix it. While outside, he tells Kira to keep the others away from the windows to spare them from the sight of Earth's surface in flames. Gordon untethers his space suit to reach the antenna, and Alexey sabotages Gordon's communications with the ISS while Nicholai uses the station's robotic arm to swat Gordon into space.
Enraged by the attack on Gordon, Weronika asks Kira – the only one she trusts – to depart in the Soyuz spacecraft with Alexey's research, a cure for radiation sickness. Weronika explains that whichever government obtains it will determine who survives the nuclear war. Weronika creates a distraction by threatening Alexey and Nicholai with destroying the station. Kira searches the Russian lockers for the research, asking Christian's help locating "node zero". He says it does not exist, leading Kira to conclude Weronika lied. Kira and Christian find the cosmonauts in a tense standoff which ends with Christian striking Weronika in the back of the head, killing her.
The astronauts withdraw. Alexey refuses to kill the Americans, so Nicholai hunts for them alone while Kira and Christian hide. Alexey sees Gordon hanging onto a solar panel and uses the robotic arm to rescue him, then helps Kira evade Nicholai. A distraught Gordon becomes further agitated when he learns of Weronica's death, arming himself. Nicholai finds them but is tackled by Gordon, who locks them in another module where they fight. The others frantically work to open the hatch, but find that Gordon and Nicholai have killed each other.
After the incident, Kira notices "NODE0" written over the door to the Japanese Experiment Module. She goes to confront Christian and finds a Soyuz spacesuit and the Russian research in his sleep pod. Meanwhile, Christian quietly sabotages the station's life support system. Kira finds Christian and Alexey in the galley, and the Americans guardedly talk about the situation, then attempt to influence Alexey to take sides. Christian attacks Alexey, wounding him, but Alexey and Kira work together to strangle Christian, killing him.
Kira treats Alexey's wound and Alexey restores life support. Communications are restored, allowing the station to stabilize. Both governments request confirmation that the astronauts and cosmonauts have completed their respective missions to take control of the station. Not responding to their superiors, Kira and Alexey board the Soyuz spacecraft with the research and descend toward Earth. Alexey asks where they are going, and Kira responds "I don't know".
Cast
[edit]- Ariana DeBose as Dr. Kira Foster, an American astronaut
- Chris Messina as Gordon Barrett, an American astronaut
- John Gallagher Jr. as Christian Campbell, an American astronaut
- Masha Mashkova as Weronika Vetrov, a Russian cosmonaut
- Costa Ronin as Nicholai Pulov, a Russian cosmonaut
- Pilou Asbæk as Alexey Pulov, a Russian cosmonaut
Production
[edit]In December 2020, Nick Shafir's screenplay I.S.S. was included on that year's "Black List" of most-liked unproduced screenplays.[5] In January 2021, it was announced that the film had been greenlit for production by LD Entertainment with Gabriela Cowperthwaite directing. Chris Messina and Pilou Asbæk were reported to star in the film.[6] In February, it was reported that Ariana DeBose had also joined the cast.[7] She auditioned prior to winning an Oscar for West Side Story. Cowperthwaite was impressed by the understated and nuanced approach DeBose took to the role.[8] DeBose's background as a dancer helped with portraying the character in zero gravity.[8][9]
Masha Mashkova was cast as Weronika after the original actress for the role dropped out upon getting sick and suggested Mashkova for the part. Costa Ronin was cast because Cowperthwaite had been impressed by his performance on The Americans.[8] He improvised his line about the trees in Russia.[8][10]
I.S.S. began filming at Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, in February 2021.[11][12] The set was designed to resemble the actual International Space Station. Cowperthwaite described it as "surreal" when Russia invaded Ukraine while the film was in post-production.[8] She did not consider I.S.S. to be "a political movie" but did intend for it to show how "the brunt" of geopolitical conflicts "falls on the little people."[8]
In the original script, Dr. Kira Foster was researching microbes instead of mice. Scott Kelly's memoir Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery was used as research for the film and inspired how the mice react to zero gravity.[13]
Cowperthwaite said of the film, "I come from these earnest documentaries and dramas and stuff like that, but I love a fun ride. I’m a popcorn-chomping moviegoer...And so being able to be entrusted, with that world, that genre, whilst maybe bringing some of that humanity that I feel is more my tool set into it felt like a very fun challenge."[14]
Release
[edit]The world premiere of I.S.S. was held at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2023.[15][16] In August 2023, Bleecker Street acquired the United States distribution rights.[16] Theatrical release of the film in North America was on January 19, 2024.[17] It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2024.[3]
The film premiered on Paramount+ with Showtime on June 3, 2024.[18]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]When released in North America, the film made $1.2 million from 2,520 theaters on its first day and went on to gross $3 million from its opening weekend, finishing seventh at the box office.[19][3]
Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 164 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "Elevated by an appealing cast, I.S.S. wrings effective albeit familiar thrills out of character-driven drama in a claustrophobic setting."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 49% overall positive score, with 27% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[19]
Reviewing the film for his Kermode and Mayo's Take channel on YouTube, Mark Kermode summarised his critique thus:[22]
It doesn't come up with much more than its central theme, but it's an enjoyable B movie in that it's a simple set up, it's convincingly played and directed with enough panache.
Derek Sante of KSNV wrote in his generally positive review: "This is an interesting thriller, though it has some plot problems. But it's entertaining enough, so I'll give it a B-."[23]
Reviewing the film for The Observer, Wendy Ide gave it a 3/5 score and wrote, "While DeBose is impressive, the contrived plot of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s movie hinges, somewhat preposterously, on rational, highly trained scientific minds devolving overnight into paranoid, murderous maniacs."[24] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph was more critical in his review: "With a modest budget of $14m applied to a concept bursting with potential, the film bides its time sensibly enough, but then screws up every remaining phase of its mission."[25]
References
[edit]- ^ "I.S.S (15)". BBFC. February 28, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (January 20, 2023). "Low-Budget Sci-Fi Thriller I.S.S. Makes A Minor Impact At The Box Office". /Film. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c "I.S.S. (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ "I.S.S. — Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Lindahl, Chris (December 14, 2020). "The 2020 Black List Presents the Year's Best Unproduced Scripts". IndieWire. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 26, 2021). "Chris Messina And Pilou Asbaek To Star In 'Our Friend' Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite's Next Film 'ISS' For LD Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (February 1, 2021). "'The Prom' & 'West Side Story' Star Ariana DeBose Joins Space Thriller 'ISS'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "I.S.S. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite Takes a Giant Leap into Space with New Thriller". Above the Line. January 18, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ Ariana DeBose; Gabriela Cowperthwaite. "I.S.S.'s Ariana DeBose on nationalism and normalizing queer". The Advocate (video). Interviewed by Tracy E. Gilchrist. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
{{cite interview}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Cleide Klock (January 18, 2024). Interview: Gabriela Cowperthwaite and her new movie I.S.S with Ariana DeBose. Retrieved September 1, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Ingram, Hunter (February 4, 2021). "'Firing on all eight cylinders': How EUE/Screen Gems Studios became fully booked". Star-News. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - I.S.S." Variety Insight. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Gabriela Cowperthwaite Interview | Tribeca Film Festival - Brit + Co". www.brit.co. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ Manning, Thomas (January 21, 2024). "A Conversation with "I.S.S." director Gabriela Cowperthwaite". Elements of Madness. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ "I.S.S." Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Scorziello, Sophia (August 16, 2023). "Ariana DeBose Sci-Fi Thriller 'I.S.S' Acquired by Bleecker Street". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (December 4, 2023). "Ariana DeBose is an astronaut at war in trailer for space-set thriller I.S.S." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ^ "What's new on Paramount+ in June 2024". digitaltrends. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 20, 2024). "'Mean Girls' Has Edge During First Weak Weekend Of 2024 – Saturday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "I.S.S.". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "I.S.S.". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Mark Kermode reviews I.S.S.- Kermode and Mayo's Take". YouTube. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Entertainment critic Derek Sante checks out I.S.S., Sundance Film Festival". KSNV. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "ISS review – Ariana DeBose shines in tense if contrived International Space Station thriller". The Guardian. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "I.S.S., review: In space, no one can hear you yawn". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 2023 films
- 2023 science fiction films
- 2023 thriller films
- 2020s American films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2020s science fiction thriller films
- American science fiction thriller films
- Bleecker Street films
- English-language science fiction thriller films
- Films about astronauts
- Films about nuclear war and weapons
- Films about NASA
- Films directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- Films set on space stations
- Films shot in North Carolina
- LD Entertainment films