Set in a futuristic world and told over the course of twelve years, four planets, and three dimensions, Molli and Max in the Future is a romantic comedy with out of this world aspirations. Beginning with a meet-cute involving spaceships, Molli and Max immediately plunges the viewer head-first into its science-fiction setting. Writer and director Michael Lukk Litwak populates the screen with bright colours and celestial backdrops. It’s a sensory overload and takes a while to settle into.
Liwak’s visual flair isn’t the only aspect of Molli and Max that takes acclimation. Initially it takes a while to warm to the titular Molli (Zosia Mamet) and Max (Aristotle Athari). The two possess borderline polarising personalities which will make it difficult for some viewers to stand them, let alone root for them to fall in love. Much like Molli and Max’s evolving dynamic, over the course of their story, the pair grind the viewer down.
Despite its sci-fi facade, the opening narrative is a clear homage to Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise trilogy. Molli and Max chat about inane things and although their chemistry is obvious, the pair remain painfully oblivious. Eventually they separate, only to keep crossing paths. Their timing never appears to be right and they settle into a close friendship instead. This is obviously not the end of their love story, but the dwindling pace of their romance is difficult to invest in. Thankfully however, Molli and Max in the Future has the comedy angle to fall back onto.
The humour is what makes Litwan’s film worth the investment. It’s weird and wacky, but stops just short of getting too silly. Molli and Max’s sci-fi backdrop offers both a nice distraction to the slight tedium of the love story, but also enables the quirkier elements of the humour to be more easily digested. Where the magic lies in Molli and Max in the Future is in its skewering of our own society. The satire is strong, tackling the horrendous Donald Trump election via a reality television contest to be the next ruler of the galaxy. Litwak also shines a light on climate change, underpinning Molli and Max’s future on whether people can save the world by simply cutting back on cheese.
Whilst some viewers might never fully embrace Molli or Max, the rest will find themselves slowly drawn in, making an experience that mirrors the journey of the characters. Surreptitiously charming, Molli and Max in the Future isn’t the best example of on-screen romance, but certainly gets both the sci-fi and comedy elements right.
Molli and Max in the Future
Summary
A film that is more of a grower than a shower, Molli and Max in the Future slowly seduces the viewer with its weird humour.
Molli and Max in the Future was reviewed at SXSW 2023.
