I.S.S., review: an intriguing but predictable space thriller

While Earth is still a world full of conflicts and friction, the International Space Station represents one of the most iconic symbols of cooperation between the United States and Russia, an outpost where science transcends geopolitics and where astronauts from rival nations work side by side for the progress of humanity. When Dr. Kira Foster and astronaut Christian Campbell arrive at the station to join their commander Gordon Barrett, they are warmly welcomed by the three Russian cosmonauts already on board: Weronika Vetrov and brothers Nicholai and Alexey Pulov.

In I.S.S., the harmony of their coexistence is brutally interrupted when, through the station's windows, the astronauts witness an apocalyptic spectacle: a series of devastating nuclear explosions illuminating our planet. Communications with ground control become fragmented and confused, but the message that arrives is crystal clear: nuclear war has broken out between the United States and Russia. And the two crews receive unequivocal orders, which threaten to pit them against each other in a completely unpredictable way.

I.S.S.: In space, no one can hear you scream

Nick Shafir's screenplay appeared on the prestigious Black List of 2020, the annual list of unproduced scripts most appreciated by the Hollywood industry. Indeed, the concept of I.S.S. is undoubtedly intriguing and incredibly timely: in an era when tensions between the United States and Russia have returned almost to Cold War levels – albeit with sudden shifts in mood – the idea of transporting this conflict to the furthest possible location possesses an immediate tension-inducing charge, capable of blending the archetypes of realistic science fiction with interesting geopolitical ramifications.

Behind the camera, we find Gabriela Cowperthwaite, an award-winning documentarian best known for Blackfish (2013), which sparked a global debate on the treatment of captive orcas in marine parks. I.S.S. marks her debut in sci-fi territory, a rather bold leap stemming from her declared love for genre cinema.

To set the story, purpose-built sets were used to faithfully replicate the interiors of the real International Space Station, with some tricks to simulate zero gravity and give the impression of a title actually set in space.

Broken trust at the end of the world

A captivating premise and an equally fascinating context, a limited stage where the protagonists move according to unprecedented logics, stemming from something terrifying and never before seen: an atomic war that has devastated much of the Earth's surface. It's a shame that not all the dramatic nuances arising from such a situation were fully exploited, with thoughts of loved ones left on that burning world quickly surfacing in the initial moments, only to become an inconvenient element to be progressively forgotten as events unfold.

Events that, at least initially, lean towards the American side – the production is flag-waving American – so much so that the first betrayal comes from the Soviet side, triggering that climax of secrets and lies that will soon pit everyone against everyone. When the uncertainty of what to do is so widespread, the only certainty is in finding an enemy and, at the same time, a new purpose, but soon alliances and divisions are destined to manifest in new collaborations. And that ending with an uncertain future, with tomorrow awaiting the survivors, is a kind of ideal summary of a film that certainly has compelling ideas, but doesn't always find the right form to showcase them.

The cast, which includes Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, who won for the remake of West Side Story (2021), is diverse enough, even while coexisting with characters who often fall victim to events rather than being their true instigators, with at least a couple of sequences that are needlessly gratuitous in order to generate hypothetical themed suspense. But I.S.S. is at its best when it doesn't resort to easy solutions, instead playing on the mystery of what awaits the protagonists upon their hypothetical return home, which must still be fought for tooth and nail against that last-minute enemy, enslaved by the "dog-eat-dog" dictum.