Mel Eslyn has been in the orbit of the Duplass brothers for a while now, directing episodes of Room 104 and Cinema Toast. The Duplass Brothers were right to trust Eslyn, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Duplass, because Biosphere is a fascinating study of male relationships in the face of extraordinary changes. The setting could be described as post-apocalyptic, but the production design is closer to a stage production. The collision of these worlds has been explored in films like 10 Cloverfield Lane, but Biosphere is far less kinetic and much more concerned with the dynamics of its characters. Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are fully committed; by the end of the film, it’s hard to argue against either performance. At its core, the film is a sci-fi two-hander, but what it has in store for us is so much more than that.

The story begins with Ray (Brown) and Billy (Duplass) inside a fortified dome capable of sustaining human life for the foreseeable future. The reason for the end of the world is unclear, but their awareness of their depleting food supply is very real. Just when all hope is lost, they notice something strange with the animals that provide the food supply and are overjoyed with the result. However, when a similar phenomenon begets them, things aren’t so fun. As a result, the two friends are forced to reckon with their past traumas and learn to adapt to a new world they alone reside in.

Biosphere is impossible to talk about without spoiling it, but it’s worth seeing. Eslyn and Duplass have crafted a sensitive and well-paced meditation on masculinity and how it might come out in two relatively normal men under extreme circumstances. But the film is more than that. It also has time to just be a fun movie involving Mario Kart cheat codes. It is a movie about how you see your best friend and how they see the way you see them. Biosphere has an M. Night Shyamalan-sized card up its sleeve and when it plays it, it surprisingly does not take away from the kind of movie it’s built itself to be.

The production design of Biosphere is lush and direct. It lifts the material without ever entering the realm of surrealism or the absurd. Megan Fenton does a lovely job of incorporating simple innovations that make sense for Brown’s character to have been able to create. Her production design keeps the plot grounded while simultaneously giving the atmosphere a true sense of place. The men survive on fish, tomatoes, and exercise; it’s nothing to write home about, even while the entire building is made up of white triangles that form a dome resembling Spaceship Earth in Epcot City.

Biosphere does not scream alternative reality nor does it give you any confirmation as to what year this cataclysmic event takes place — that is, except for Mario Kart. One of the film’s recurring conversations is the subtext of the relationship Mario has with Luigi. Billy essentially claiming he is the Mario of the duo; Ray rolls his eyes and never gives it any real thought. By the film’s end, Billy is convinced the video game legends are, in fact, a perfect team, relying on each other’s strengths without either needing top billing.

In the world of the film, the metaphor relates to Ray being a scientist who does not need the spotlight and Billy being a leader, but in a world that does not exist anymore. The meta-commentary between the characters goes even deeper. Duplass, being a writer-director who got famous for acting, might feel like he is most capable of shepherding a project like this. But, Brown is undeniably one of the best actors working in Hollywood right now and there is no world where this film succeeds without him.

Biosphere is not for everyone, and at its core is a very modern metaphor. You’ll be shocked by what happens, but you’ll have to decide for yourself whether the metaphor works or if it’s patently absurd. The former seems more likely, but only time will tell. Eslyn has full control of every element of the filmmaking process and the team to execute that vision. Fenton’s production design fits the film perfectly and every little touch works to build out this world. Duplass and Brown are an unlikely, but deeply successful, duo. In the end it really doesn’t matter who is Mario and who is Luigi — they are both incredible.

Biosphere is in theaters and on demand July 7. The film is 106 minutes long and not yet rated.