LOVE

After losing contact with Earth, Captain Lee Miller becomes stranded aboard the International Space Station. When the reality of isolation sets in, Miller struggles to stay alive and maintain his sanity. But when he discovers an old diary on board written by a Civil War soldier called Briggs, its story offers a much-needed connection to humanity and its common truths.  “It’s how he defines his own situation,” says writer and director Will Eubank. “In the end it’s the same story.”

Despite the similarities between these stories, they contrast when it comes to setting and circumstance. Briggs’ story revolving around the horrors of war compared with Miller’s foray into space creates a dialogue between war and love, thus expanding the film thematically. In this sense, Eubank believes that war is the opposite of love – the lowest form of human connection. “[Love] is the highest elevation of what human beings achieve,” he explains. “Hopefully what people take from it is that if you’re going to leave something behind… I’d want it to be love.”

Regardless of these views, the film unfolds in a way that leaves it open to interpretation. However, what audiences can expect is stunning visuals amplified by the music of Angels and Airwaves, a band fronted by Blink 182 guitarist Tom Delonge. In fact, Eubank explains the idea for Love evolved from a series of songs from the band. They were originally meant to be vignettes or music videos. In particular, there was a song called Love like Rockets, which was about an astronaut blasting up into space, an act they were comparing to falling in love. ***1/2