More an ethical puzzle than a proper film, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (known for the docs Blackfish and The Grab, as well as the narrative feature Megan Leavey), works from a screenplay by Nick Shafir to bring us a thriller set in what is still looked upon as a beacon of international cooperation, the International Space Station, a joint effort between the United States and Russia. I.S.S. wonders what would happen to this oasis of harmony if war broke out between the two nations on earth, and both governments gave orders to their astronauts to take the space station over at any cost. It’s certainly an intriguing question, even if one wonders what exactly the winning astronauts would do once in control. It turns out that, much like on Earth, mutually assured destruction just might be the result.
The film opens when two new astronauts arrive at the I.S.S., Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose) and Christian Campbell (John Gallagher Jr.), to join fellow American Gordon Barrett (Chris Messina), as well as three Russian cosmonauts—Weronika (Masha Mashkova), Nicholai (Costa Ronin, The Americans), and Alexey (Danish actor Pilou Asbæk, Game of Thrones). To add further intrigue and complications, Gordon and Weronika have become a couple during their time in space. So when an alarming number of missile attacks visible from space start popping up across the Earth’s surface, the emotions that connect the crews make their decisions less clear when it comes to national loyalty.
At first, we think the two groups will simply retreat to their part of the space station until things clear up down below, but certain members of the crew begin to show what they’re capable of as far as how extreme they will get in order to keep the upper hand. Conversely, some among the space travelers work harder than other to keep things stable and avoid any bloodshed. DeBose, Gallagher, and Messina aren’t the first actors who come to mind for a space adventure, but that almost makes them more perfect for these roles—they aren’t trained heroes; they are awkward science nerds who are completely overwhelmed by what appears to be an apocalypse on Earth and other members of the crew out to eliminate them as a potential threat. Most of the astronauts are out of their depth, and that makes a tense situation all the more unpredictable.
Despite the vast backdrop of space and the possibility of global destruction, I.S.S. feels intimate and somewhat limited. As if killing each other wasn’t enough of a threat, the space station is also apparently slowly falling out of orbit without guidance from the surface to help course correct. As a result, someone(s) has to jump into an escape pod with certain files and make it back to whatever is left of home. This isn’t a sit-and-wait story; it’s a hurry-up-and-run race against the clock. Sometimes that’s exciting, and sometimes it feels slight and forced, especially when the script uses what feel like artificial constructs to ramp up the drama. The movie is an interesting experiment in something almost worthy of the stage, but it feels like it’s missing an act—either in getting to know these characters a bit better or in their struggle to take control of the space station. In the end, I was only mildly curious about who comes out on top.
The film begins screening Friday in theaters.