Teaser Trailer for "Extraterrestrial"

Description of the film:

Nacho Vigalondo has already captivated audiences by blending genres in his relent­lessly inventive debut feature, Timecrimes. For his follow-up Extraterrestrial, an inge­nious take on the alien-invasion film, Vigalondo skilfully merges science fiction and romantic comedy — along with a wicked streak of gallows humour — to shed light on some of the less convivial elements of human behaviour.

Strangers Julio (Julián Villagrán) and Julia (Michelle Jenner) wake up beside one another in Julia’s apartment, groggy, hun­gover and unsure how they met. Julia is about to send Julio on his way when both notice the uncanny silence gripping Julia’s downtown neighbourhood. Looking out the window, they see Madrid’s skyline dot­ted with enormous spaceships. The only other person left in the building is Julia’s fawning and somewhat creepy neighbour, Ángel (Carlos Areces), who explains that there’s been an exodus of people flee­ing the city. When Julia’s boyfriend Tipo (Miguel Noguera) shows up — having now shifted into survivalist mode — the dynam­ics between the four reach heady extremes. Attempting to hide their apparent one-night stand, Julia and Julio convince Tipo that Ángel is an alien and must be ejected.

As the narrative unfolds, the spaceships maintain their immobile, sphinx-like pres­ence. The only television station still on the air reports that there are similar space-crafts stationed in cities around the world; none have made any attempts at contact.

Meanwhile, as the claustrophobic atmo­sphere in the apartment increases, decisions are made about who stays, who goes and who gets the girl.

Vigalondo brilliantly utilizes the confined space of Julia’s apartment as a container for this novel drama about love, jealousy, betrayal and redemption — a drama that effortlessly doubles as an offbeat comedy unburdened by gratuitous special effects. Quirky and pro­found, Extraterrestrial expounds on natures both human and imaginary.