A late addition to the Toronto International Film Festival lineup, Biosphere ended up being one of the biggest surprises of this year’s festival. It’s the kind of weird and daring quirky comedies that put the Duplass brothers on the map thanks to a brilliant screenplay from director/co-writer Mel Eslyn and co-writer/star Mark Duplass.
Biosphere tells the story of two men, presumably the last living people on Earth, as they live out their days in a confined biosphere and must find a way to save the future of humanity. If the title gives you trauma-induced flashbacks to the Pauly Shore vehicle Bio-Domefear not, because Eslyn’s film is something much smarter and very funny.
The twist that happens halfway through this movie is probably the craziest thing you’ll ever see in a movie. Whatever you think this movie might be, you’re wrong. It’s a concept that feels like it should be wildly insensitive and utterly short, but Eslyn and Duplass manage to pull it off against the odds.
Much of the film’s success comes down to the performances of Duplass and his co-star Sterling K. Brown. Even if there is an inherent absurdity in what they are asked to do, Duplass and Brown approach their roles in a completely direct way. This sells the film as a legitimate commentary on its themes rather than something insensitive.
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That said, the film is still very funny and will make audiences chuckle uncomfortably. It’s the perfect balance between silly and genuinely insightful to work with. There are obvious paths that Eslyn and Dulass could have taken to make jokes about this premise, and while they take a few of those paths, they also find humor in some of the most unlikely places and the most nuanced.
What We Are Left with is a film that is a compelling exploration of themes of masculinity and humanity. It’s surprisingly an emotional watch, as audiences become attached to these characters and will feel strangely moved by the emotional journey they go through over the course of the film.
For this to be Eslyn’s feature debut as a director, it’s surprisingly accomplished. Of course, she’s been one of the main producers to work with Duplass on his films over the past decade, so she’s gained a lot of experience. Either way, the way it mixes lo-fi sci-fi with silly comedy is almost masterful.
Biosphere is going to be an absolute nightmare to sell to audiences without fooling them or revealing the twist that makes the movie so great, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the best comedies of the year. It’s almost a miracle that this movie does so well, but it’s a movie that audiences won’t soon forget.
Biosphere screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which ran from September 8-18.
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