Landscape with Invisible Hand, based on the novel by the same name by M.T Anderson, is a small indie sci-fi film out in theaters now. I’ve been describing the film to people as “Nope meets Eighth Grade meets Sorry to Bother You,” for its alien invasion meets teenage deadpan coming-of-age angst meets an absurdist satire of capitalism. The story takes place in an America that, five years ago, was invaded by an alien species called the Vuvv, who brought with them advanced technology and medicine that has placed nearly all humans out of a job. Two teenagers, Adam and Chloe (Asante Blackk and Kylie Rogers, both terrific), decide to turn their budding romance into live-streamed content– a “courtship broadcast”– for the Vuvv, who do not experience love, and are so fascinated by human romance they are willing to pay for it. But as Adam and Chloe try to keep up their scheme, things get more and more complicated between them and their families, and they suddenly find more than just their livestream at the mercy of the Vuvv.

I have not read the book, so I can’t speak to this film as a work of adaptation. However, after seeing the film and looking up the book, it did not surprise me to discover the book is made up of a series of vignettes. While an attempt is made, the movie is unable to translate the book into a three-act structure and retains the vignette feel. Therefore the film feels disjointed, with each individual vignette having an isolated theme or critique. 

For example, there’s the first section, which explores the dehumanizing effect of romance being monetized. There’s another section where one of the Vuvv pretends to be Adam’s dad and, after watching old sitcoms, adapts sexist views towards Adam’s mother and tries to enforce a patriarchal structure within the home. There’s another section where Adam creates a piece of art in protest of the Vuvv, and the Vuvv then takes it and transforms it into pro-Vuvv propaganda, showing how those in power co-opt and silence dissident artistic movements. There’s a section where a homeless white man, living in the basement of a black woman, watches Fox News-esque TV and complains of how much more privilege she has than him and how things used to be better and different. These vignettes differ in the level of how compelling or well-realized they are, and because each section changes which character it is centered on, some characters disappear for long periods of time, meaning only Adam gets any real semblance of a character arc. 

That being said, as a thought experiment, I truly enjoyed Landscape With Invisible Hand. I love seeing an alien invasion movie where there are no world-ending stakes. It’s a slice-of-life drama about two families, in a world that is familiar but off-kilter. This is speculative fiction at its best, when it presents an alternative reality that we could still imagine and see ourselves in. 

There are other things to like about this film. The Vuvv are amazingly well-realized, from their design (these aren’t Roswell aliens! They’re incredibly unique) to the visual effects to how the actors interact with them. Tiffany Haddish, while I’m still not fully convinced is a great dramatic actor, continues a pretty solid run with this, Haunted Mansion, and The Card Counter. Props to her and her agent! Similarly, Josh Hamilton is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, after his turn in Eighth Grade and this year’s excellent Reality. The production design makes this world feel lived-in and real while maintaining a stylized edge. And even with the vignette feel, the movie never drags, and there was also never a point in the story where I could predict what was coming next. 

If you enjoy science fiction, coming-of-age stories, satire, or just have already seen Barbie or Oppenheimer, I think this is certainly worth checking out. Like Adam and Chloe’s broadcast, the film is often more evocative of deeper feelings and thoughts than it is able to deliver on, but it’s entertaining nonetheless.

-Madeleine D.