Search Close this search box. ‘U Are the Universe’ movie review: Ukrainian sci-fi allegory a moving tale of the last man off Earth ★★★½ , Movie Reviews A space trucker finds himself the only living human in the cosmos after the Earth unexpectedly explodes in U Are the Universe (Ty – Kosmos), which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, was awarded the top prize at the recent Future Gate Festival in Prague, and is now screening in local cinemas (and with English subtitles at Kino Světozor ). This first-rate Ukrainian sci-fi film plays out like Duncan Jones’ Moon as it focuses on a lonely astronaut and his relationship with his ship’s on-board computer, but pairs its bleak comedy with deeper existential questions and comes away as a profound allegory for our search for human connection in an increasingly artificial world. The dry humor initially recalls Red Dwarf or this year’s Mickey 17 , but by the end writer-director Pavlo Ostrikov ‘s film approaches the emotional depth of Tarkovsky’s Solaris. U Are the Universe stars Volodymyr Kravchuk as blue collar astronaut Andriy, a lonely soul on a solo four-year mission to dispose of Earth’s nuclear waste across the galaxy on the other side of Jupiter’s Callisto moon. His only companion is Maxim (voiced by Leonid Popadko ), the artificial intelligence that controls his ship and keeps him amused with corny jokes and small talk, and an early message from his boss lets him know he doesn’t have much to look forward to: he’s been fired for releasing his waste prematurely. But when Andriy wakes up to a great flash of light, Maxim informs him of an unfortunate tragedy: the Earth has exploded, and Andriy appears to be the last human left alive in the universe. Exactly why this has happened is unclear; in one startling shot, we see a series of what appear to be nuclear blasts going off in succession around the globe, while Andriy later mentions that earthquakes had become an increasingly deadly threat over recent years. It seems our protagonist won’t have to wait long before joining the rest of humanity: chunks of the Earth are now hurtling towards his ship, the Obriy (Ukrainian for Dream) at incredible speed. But if he and Maxim can maneuver the Obriy on the opposite side of Callisto in time, they just might be able to shield themselves from damage, ensuring survival for at least a little longer. Still, a life of solitude as the last living human in the galaxy doesn’t seem so exciting, even if Andriy gets Maxim to dole out his birthday present—a cupcake and copy of Robinson Crusoe—a few months in advance. But a message from Catherine (voiced by Alexia Depicker ), a French cosmologist exploring weather phenomena around Saturn, gives him hope that he still has something to look forward to in this universe. U Are the Universe is essentially a one-man show, and Kravchuk is magnetic as a man used to spending years in isolation—but now, facing his own mortality, finds hope in a potential human connection, however improbable it may be. Andriy’s conversations with Catherine give the film its emotional backbone, but his contentious relationship with Maxim, which parallels the increasing prevalence of parasocial relationships with AI on today’s Earth, is one of the more interesting tangents here. Making his feature directorial debut, Ostrikov spent nearly a decade seeing U Are the Universe through from script to finished product, a timeline that was interrupted by Russia’s war in Ukraine; halfway through filming, star Kravchuk served in the armed forces before he returned to complete the movie. The result is an unusually polished product for its budget (reported at less than $1 million) filled with extensive effects work that never fails to convince. The production design of U Are the Universe favors tactile, industrial textures and practical-looking details that ground the story in a convincing near-future reality, following in the footsteps of 2001: A Space Odyssey (which Ostrikov directly references at multiple points) and more recent works like Gravity and Spaceman . But the Obriy’s cramped corridors, well-worn consoles, and meticulously weathered surfaces feel as authentic as anything produced by larger Hollywood studios. Beneath its surface sci-fi pleasures, the film ultimately circles around questions of loneliness, responsibility, and the fragile boundaries between human need and artificial companionship. Andriy’s struggle to find purpose after the collapse of everything familiar becomes a meditation on how connection—real or simulated—shapes our sense of identity. By the time U Are the Universe reaches its deeply affecting conclusion, it leaves viewers with a surprisingly hopeful reflection on what remains meaningful when our world falls away. U Are the Universe Source: https://www.praguereporter.com/home/2025/12/5/u-are-the-universe-movie-review-ukrainian-sci-fi-allegory-a-moving-tale-of-the-last-man-off-earth/