Aliens taking over Earth may sound like a concept that has been done before, but Landscape with Invisible Hand offers a new and refreshing angle. Written and directed by Cory Finley, who adapted M.T. Anderson’s novel of the same name, the sci-fi dramedy boasts great performances from This is Us’ Asante Blackk and Tiffany Haddish. While it isn’t the strongest film, Landscape with Invisible Hand is bold and fascinating enough to stand on its own merits.
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Set in 2036, Landscape with Invisible Hand follows Adam (Blackk), a teen artist, and his family after aliens, called Vuvv, have taken over the planet. Adam’s mother (Haddish), formerly a lawyer, is barely getting by — jobs have been largely eradicated due to Vuvv technology, and her husband (William Jackson Harper) has disappeared to California in search of better opportunities. When Chloe (Kylie Rogers) starts attending Adam’s school, he offers her and her family a place to stay. After Chloe and Adam start dating, she comes up with the idea to broadcast their relationship to the Vuvv, who are fascinated by human love, to make money. When things go awry and their broadcast threatens to put Adam’s family in long-term debt, his mother comes up with a plan in a bid to stay on the Vuvv’s good side.

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Finley’s film is a clever and unique take on aliens. Visually, they look a lot different from what audiences have come to expect. The way they communicate, with fin-like paddle arms scraping against each other, is also memorable and makes up the significant portion of the humor in the film. To that end, Landscape with Invisible Hand is less of a comedy, and while there are laughs to be had, the story begins to get a lot more somber as it heads towards its conclusion. There are indeed some plot threads that don’t have any closure, questions that remain unanswered, but the film grapples with what it is to persevere in the wake of occupation, who benefits from it, and what it means to give up one’s humanity if it means appeasing the occupiers.

Asante Blackk and Kylie Rogers in Landscape With Invisible Hand

Adam is faced with a very specific dilemma and his choices come from the need to provide for his family while also contemplating what he’s willing to give up. Is he like his father (Harper, who’s only in one scene unfortunately), who abandoned his family in search of something to help them? Or is he like his mother, who stays and tries to make due with the resources she has left? Adam must also contend with himself as an artist and the way in which his work is perceived and handled by the aliens, who take an interest in it for reasons that undermine Adam’s point for making it.

Elevating the film are the performances by Asante Blackk and Tiffany Haddish. With just his expressions, Blackk is able to convey a variety of expressions. It’s easy to decipher what Adam is feeling thanks to Blackk’s emotive eyes. His character struggles to come to terms with so many things in his life, which always seems to be falling apart in one way or another, and Blackk’s performance balances everything Adam is going through at every turn. Haddish is similarly wonderful. Her character’s patience is tested at several different points, and Haddish’s long-suffering sighs and body language make for some humorous moments while also showcasing the hoops the character must jump through to keep her family afloat.

Landscape with Invisible Hand is an ambitious story about living under occupation, socioeconomic and racial tensions, as well as the lengths some people are willing to maintain a sense of self and dignity amidst the loss of freedom and a lack of choice. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t feel like the script was written to properly assess the Black experience, especially in light of some of the white family’s comments. The film falls short of truly peeling back the layers of the dynamic between the two families, but it does address the tensions between them and the privilege and treatment Chloe’s family believes they deserve despite their being guests in Adam’s family’s home.

It’s a fascinating story to balance, and though it doesn’t always work, Finley really runs with the concept and its various themes. It’s safe to say there’s never a dull moment in the film, and it isn’t predictable in terms of what comes next. Landscape with Invisible Hand leans into its bizarre plot to beneficial results. There is plenty going on, but as soon as it moves away from Adam and Chloe’s stagnant relationship, the film becomes all the more interesting. There’s certainly a lot to dissect, too, in terms of themes, and the film will hold the audience’s attention even in its strangest moments. The film is fairly out-of-this-world (no pun intended), but it’s compelling and intriguing.

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Landscape with Invisible Hand premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 23. The film is 94 minutes long and rated R for language and brief violent content.