"“The setting of space combined with the theme of isolation comes together to make a quite absorbing piece of cinema…”"

If there is one thing you can say about William Eubank’s Love, is how refreshing it is to see a sci-fi feature made on a small budget, as we’re so used to the grand-scale Hollywood blockbusters in such a field. Eubank had a set built in his parent’s back yard, whilst his space station window was made from a washing machine door, and yet Love is still easier to comprehend than Prometheus…

We follow the story of Captain Lee Miller (Gunner Wright), an astronaut sent into outer space to carry out a safety check of the International Space station following its abandonment two decades earlier. However Miller finds himself stranded alone in orbit, losing all contact with his controller, unable to communicate with anyone back home.

As time passes and Miller’s supplies begin to run out, not only does the lonely and isolated astronaut have to battle to survive, but he must also try and refrain from losing his mind in the process, as he struggles to maintain his sanity. That is, however, until he makes an unexpected discovery aboard the vessel…

Eubank has presented a captivating portrayal of one mans mentality, and the instinctive desire for human contact, and, of course, love. Eubank remains faithful to the simplistic premise of the picture, as there is just something simply engrossing about watching people stranded alone, as Love follows on in a line of films of a similar ilk such as Cast Away and 127 Hours. Love is a character study, as we intently follow our protagonist while he slowly loses his patience, and his mind, and due to the nature of the feature we rely heavily on the performance of Wright, and he turns in a career-defining performance, a tour-de-force if you will.

Of course when a film has an overriding message of the importance of love and how human relations shape our lives and legacy – mawkishness and eye-rolling profundity is to be expected, and in Love they are presented in abundance. Eubank implements a series of faux interviews (think When Harry met Sally) to break up the film – all linked between the themes of love. Although fitting in with the nature of the film it’s too overly sentimental and forces my head to fall graciously into my hands as a result. Never mind the overindulgence, such interviews take away from some of the magic of the film, as one moment we’re in space and facing an eternity of nothingness, and the next we’re witnessing a bloke having a chat to camera. It takes away any cinematic scope, as we unwillingly return to the real world.

The interludes also work against the general premise of the film, as to feel the maximum effect of this film; we need to solely study the mental state of Miller. You could argue that we need to deviate away from his predicament to help break up the picture and avoid tedium, yet I believe it works the opposite way, as the more we analyse our protagonist, the more uncomfortable and tense the atmosphere becomes and the film is more emotionally effective as a result. In a sense it feels almost as though Eubank is refusing to take any risks, as this could be a much more disturbing movie given the situation. However, it tries too forcefully to be profound instead, which devalues the entire film. This also becomes evident in how quickly we witness Miller losing his mind. We skip the slow-burning, gradual decline, which if implemented is the most difficult and affecting section to observe.

On the flip-side Eubank should be commended for his artistic and inventive approach, as the setting of space combined with the theme of isolation comes together to make a quite absorbing piece of cinema. Attempting profundity and a deeper meaning, Love is in a similar mould to the wonderfully thought-provoking features of Terrence Malick. Although unfortunately for Eubank, you really need to be Terrence Malick to get away with that.