Is it a sign of the changing, dwindling (?) times, or is it just akin to a VOD release? Either way, the well-regarded SXSW genre film, “If You Were the Last,” starring Anthony Mackie and Zoë Chao as astronauts in a sci‑fi rom‑com, just had its trailer released, and the film comes out… today. How’s that for heads-up marketing?
As the title suggests, the film is about…not the last two people on Earth, but certainly, the last two people at the end of a long space expedition. With no help in sight, the two are left to ponder their existence, the universe, and life and maybe even get a little romantic with one another.
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Directed by Kristian Mercado (“Nuevo Rico,” “Taylor Tomlinson: Look at You”), also features Natalie Morales and Geoff Stults.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Adam and Jane are three years into a NASA mission that has gone very wrong. Their ship is broken, and now they drift between Jupiter and Saturn, finding ways to pass the time as they become more certain that no one is coming to save them. Adam paints, and Jane attempts to repair the ship. They argue over what movies to watch. And every day, they dance. One day, Adam poses that maybe they should sleep together. Jane laughs the idea off — why mess up their great dynamic just to add one more (admittedly very fun) activity to their list of time-passing options? Thus begins a friendly, flirty debate about whether they’re better off spending their remaining days as friends or something more.
The film has an 88% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, but perhaps the Peacock powers-that-be have determined the marketplace won’t really sustain a big press campaign for what is essentially a modest little indie film. That’s a shame, but again, perhaps a reflective reality of the times. Either way, the trailer is below, and this lack of marketing makes me think I know what I’m watching tonight.