‘Our Effed Up World’ Proves We’re Worth Saving [Fantasia Review]

Our world is effed up, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth saving. That’s what Sheri (Sara Thompson), an aimless twenty-something grappling with the loss of her grandmother (Kerry Armstrong), realizes after aliens crash-land on Earth in radioactive green meteors in Alice Maio Mackay’s sci-fi romp Our Effed Up World. Alongside her astronomer father, Hank (Scott Major), and friends Poppy (Annapurna Sriram) and Finn (Jess McLeod), Sheri must stop the extraterrestrial visitors from consuming everything and everyone she loves most, including the local video rental shop.

Produced by writer-director Jane Schoenbrun (whose latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, had its Canadian premiere at Fantasia on the 17th), Mackay described Our Effed Up World as an “homage to MTV pilots that didn’t get picked up” and “CW late night shows.” Fans of The X-Files, Doctor Who, and the short-lived Disney Channel series So Weird will appreciate Mackay’s ability to capture what made these kinds of shows so special without ever losing her distinctive visual style and sense of humor.

Our Effed Up World is about an alien invasion, and while Mackay’s striking color palette and charming (but creepy) creature design will delight anyone who grew up watching ’90s/00s paranormal shows, it’s the performances that make the film memorable. During her introduction, Mackay mentioned turning to Kevin Smith’s slacker comedies after losing two of her grandparents “in the same year,” and that influence is evident in the chemistry between the cast. Sriram and McLeod (who you might also recognize in a scene-stealing moment from Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma) are especially entertaining as Poppy and Finn, whose flirtatious back-and-forth/will-they-won’t-they adds a welcome dose of levity to a story otherwise preoccupied with grief.

Meanwhile, Thompson shines as Sheri, whose struggle to make sense of her life will surely to resonate with viewers. She’s impulsive and abrasive, punching catcallers and fighting with her obviously depressed father. She’s also numb and directionless, getting high and watching cartoons through the night. Thompson plays her with just enough fragility to remind us that it’s grief driving her outbursts, doing most of the heavy lifting with her eyes, especially during a tender flashback with her grandmother.

Our Effed Up World is 68 minutes long, and while I personally love a breezy, under-90-minute-movie, I found myself wishing that we could have spent more time in the colorful, effed-up world Mackay has so lovingly created. At times, it felt as though the film was rushing through important emotional beats while spending too much time on others. I was especially fascinated by Hank, who is revealed to have had his own encounter with the aliens while he was in university. There’s an interesting parallel between father and daughter here, but it’s only briefly suggested before the film moves on.

But perhaps this is by design. At only 21 years old, Mackay has already established herself as one of the most exciting young filmmakers to watch, and Our Effed Up World succeeds as an homage to the pilots and media that inspired her without ever slipping into nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. If she ever decides to revisit Sheri and her friends in a series in the future, I’ll be the first one tuning in.

Tags: Alice Maio Mackay Fantasia Jane Schoenbrun our effed up world review

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