by Charles Kirkland Jr
When the world comes to an end, one man has to come to grip with he is the last man in the universe in
U Are The Universe.
In the future, aboard a cargo ship named Obriy, Andriy, a Ukranan space trucker, is on a four-year round-
trip mission to transport nuclear waste from Earth to Jupiter’s moon Callisto. The Obriy is equipped with
all the facilities necessary for survival, including a robot named Maxim to keep him company. Maxim has
a joke for every occasion, which comes in handy when the Earth explodes in the far distance. With the
Earth gone, Andriy believes he is now the last living person in the universe until he gets a call from a French woman named Catherine) from a faraway space station. Not surprisingly, believing he is in love,
Andriy’s mission is to reach her, despite any obstacles.
U Are The Universe stars Volodymyr Kravchu as Andriy, Leonid Popadko as the voice of Maxim and
Daria Plahtiy as Catherine (voiced by Alexia Depicker, don’t worry that will make sense when you watch
the film). The film is written and directed by Pavlo Ostrikov. This is Ostrikov’s first feature film. He made
the film during the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.
In the book of Genesis, God saw that Adam was alone in the garden and said that it is not good for man
to be alone. This film is an excellent confirmation of the perfect wisdom of God. Andriy is perfectly fine
when he is alone with the prospect of returning home. After the Earth expires, the desperation that
overcomes him with the realization of the fact that he is truly alone forever motivates Andriy to make
some really poor decisions.
Thank goodness for Maxim, the robot to keep him on track and protect him. Yet in a move that illustrates
the inhuman infallibility of computers (and a subtle dig on AI), Maxim’s actions betray Andriy at a time
when he needs him the most.
It is easy to miss the spirituality that resides within Ostrikov’s seemingly simple story. Without being
overbearing, this film exists on two levels, the surface level which speaks to man’s destructive potential
and the emotional/spiritual level that enables a loner to embrace the deeper innate motivations of man,
love and the need for life.
With no content advisories, U Are The Universe is an insightful, emotional, and spiritual experience.
Considering the conditions under which it was made, the film is a true wonder and a prescient reminder of
how we are wired for companionship and our need to connect with someone, especially in the darkest of
times.
Grade: B-