Today’s quick review: Exopolitics. Shortly after Tom (Maximillian Anthony) breaks up with his girlfriend Nina (Mar Alsius), the appearance of a UFO plunges the world into chaos. Before he can go look for Nina, Tom’s paranoid neighbor Karl (Ben Vinnicombe) kidnaps him to keep him out of danger. Now Tom must follow the psychic transmissions of a mysterious man (Giles Gambino) to break free, find his ex-girlfriend, and make sure she’s safe.
Exopolitics is a psychological thriller posing as a science fiction movie. Set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, Exopolitics follows Tom on a surreal journey to reunite with Nina, the woman he foolishly threw out of his life. Exopolitics is a patchwork of ideas that fit poorly together. An unclear setup, poor pacing, unlikable characters, and the usual budget issues all contribute to an unsatisfying watch.
Exopolitics never quite decides what the audience should focus on. The opening of the movie introduces Tom and his relationship with Nina, but the sudden arrival of the UFO irrevocably jumbles the movie’s priorities. Crazed neighbors, opportunistic prostitutes, and doubting Christians all take the spotlight away from a supposed alien invasion that’s never properly explained and only rarely commented on.
All of this tips Exopolitics over into the realm of a psychological thriller, albeit not a very capable one. Tom wanders around the city in a daze, asking shady characters whether they have seen Nina and receiving cryptic responses. Even if these events are not meant to be taken literally, they are confusing and poorly communicated. None of the segments build well off the previous ones, and the finale does very little to tie them together.
Exopolitics explores an experimental type of storytelling that other movies have done far better. Those interested in seeing where a movie can go with an offbeat vision, a limited budget, and a loosely science-fictional premise may want to give it a shot for curiosity’s sake. But Exopolitics delivers none of the concrete speculation or thematic depth it needs to be a worthwhile watch, making it an easy movie to skip.
For a psychological drama that handles similar themes with more skill, check out Revolver. For a darker thriller with a similarly surreal storytelling style, try Urge. For a sci-fi movie that works in more interesting psychological elements, try A Scanner Darkly or Southland Tales. For a more direct low-budget take on an alien invasion, try Horizon, Alien Uprising, or Occupation.
[5.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14899034/). I give it a 3.5 for a jumbled story that largely misses the mark.