The career trajectory of Cory Finley has been peculiar, to say the least – Thoroughbreds was an ambitious debut that gave him credibility as a promising young voice in independent cinema, while Bad Education was a step forward in terms of subject matter and resources, and even though it premiered on television, it feels considerable cinematic and contributed to the current renaissance we see transpiring in that medium, which has proven to be equal to film if not slowly overtaking it in terms of audience engagement and cultural footprint. Yet, neither of these films made him a household name, or put him in a position where he was able to take on bigger projects that captured the public’s attention. This seems to be a deliberate choice since Finley appears to be the kind of artist who relishes in his independence and refusal to settle for anything he views as being a waste of his time and instead chooses to take on projects that mean something to him as a filmmaker, which is why he is such an exciting director. His most recent project was Landscape with Invisible Hand, which sees the director venturing towards the realm of science fiction for the first time. He tells the story of two teenagers shortly, one in which aliens have made contact with the human race, and have taken up residence on our planet, become benevolent but hard-headed overlords intent on spreading their way of life to as many humans as possible – and when our two protagonists discover that even these extraterrestrial beings crave entertainment, they decide to capitalize on their budding romance for the sake of capital, but discover a few darker secrets along the way. Carefully constructed to be both funny and thought-provoking, Landscape with Invisible Hand is a charming film that has mostly sat in the background without stirring much awareness, but for the few that have discovered it, the experience is nothing short of deeply moving, which we may not have initially expected based on the premise.

After decades of exceptional science fiction work, it seems like everything that can be done with the genre has been achieved in some form or another, so when we find a film that offers something new, whether narratively or in terms of its style, it is important to acknowledge such a discovery, since it can often be quite inspiring, especially for those who have a fondness for the genre. Landscape with Invisible Hand is the rare kind of film that blends the rougher, do-it-yourself aesthetic of the 1950s with the insightful, complex perspective offered by more recent entries into the genre. Science fiction is not supposed to be polished, especially those that don’t intend to be overly realistic (and considering the rate at which we are moving towards the future in terms of technological developments, we may not be comfortable with the most authentic depictions of what the near-future is likely to be), but rather offer something more valuable, an escape from reality in a way that is entertaining and captivating. This film achieves this without needing to go too far or become a bundle of overly ambitious ideas. In fact, the simplicity of the plot is the most significant merit that Finley has when constructing this film since it allows the director to have some space to develop his ideas genuinely, rather than focusing too much on the details. It may be implausible and stretch the limits of imagination, but what is this genre if it can’t expect us to suspend disbelief for a couple of hours? The design is fantastic, with the combination of a recognizable version of the future combined with some striking visual components (which show that Finley was working with a slightly bigger arsenal of resources) make the film deeply captivating, and we are invited into this world, allowed to splendour in the radical beauty that defines this film and makes it so extraordinarily captivating in ways that we don’t always necessarily expect or even intend to understand, but rather feel in a more ethereal way, all of our senses being stimulated by this wonderfully offbeat science fiction odyssey.

It may not be all that obvious, but Landscape with Invisible Hand is a film that contains a very strong cast, composed of a varied group of people who commit wholeheartedly to bringing this film to life. At the core, we have Asante Blackk (who has been circling making a breakthrough as an actor for half a decade now, since his incredible work in When They See Us) and NAME as the two young protagonists who find a way to monetize their growing attraction to one another, but aren’t equipped to handle the challenges that accompany them on the other side when they are forced to pay the consequences. Both actors are fantastic – these are not particularly challenging roles, but they infuse their characters with such depth and nuance, that it grounds the film and makes it even more effective. In terms of the older cast, Tiffany Haddish proves that she is capable of more dramatic material, playing the empathetic mother who wants to do the best she can to provide for her family, but struggles to have the confidence to do it well enough, which leads to her doing whatever she can to make their lives better. Josh Hamilton, another terrific actor who has remained unheralded for decades, is wonderful as the father of the other protagonist, a man who is also trying his best to make a life for his children, and also is willing to go to extreme measures to give them the life they deserve. Landscape with Invisible Hand is not a film that necessarily warrants the most complex or daring cast, but the excellent work being done by the actors is very strong, and even William Jackson Harper (who has rarely been given the chance to show his incredible skills as an actor) manages to captivate us in a single scene, which also happens to be the one that contains the most heart and humour. It’s a tremendous ensemble that commits entirely to these roles, anchoring the film within a recognizable reality.

Landscape with Invisible Hand is a film with a plot as inexplicable and ambigious as its title, which is something that Finley seems to view as a source of a lot of potentials. Science fiction is a genre that usually (although not always, as it has sometimes lost its way when guided by someone with considerably less skill) contains some kind of social message, and once we start to search for these details, we can begin to see the wonderful potential that drives this film and makes it so incredibly captivating and deeply moving. It has a lot of complex ideas embedded within it, but there is overall something valuable about how it executes many of its ideas. It’s odd to consider how this is not a comedy – there are some very funny moments, but this film is overall more of a drama, and Finley makes sure that whatever touches of humour are scattered throughout the film are purely atmospheric, rather than steering the story in a direction where it may be viewed as overly comedic. There are countless examples of thoughtful comedies that tell us something about life, but this film benefits from a slightly more sobering approach since it doesn’t have the opportunity to aim for the low-hanging fruit, and instead has to develop its ideas on its own, which is why it feels so profoundly moving in a way that we may not always expect. Humanity is not a subject that is always easy to explore – despite it being a universal concept, we have yet to fully understand what it means, or if it even has a meaning overall. This film offers us a very interesting look at what life could be like for us if we ever get these answers, with the results being quite odd since there is neither joy nor panic that comes about as a result, but rather a continued sense of trying to make our way through the world, earning a living and providing for those that we love, with just a few additional obstacles in our way. The meaning that Finley was trying to demonstrate here is certainly not always obvious, and he doesn’t spend too much time developing his ideas, instead relying on the atmosphere to tell the story, which is a good approach to this more lo-fi, quiet style of science fiction filmmaking.

Strange and offbeat, but deeply captivating in a way that we don’t always expect, Landscape with Invisible Hand is another triumph for Finley, who continues his ascent to becoming one of the more enduring voices in contemporary filmmaking. The consistently shifting mood prevents the film from ever feeling repetitive, and the overall experience is amplified by the masterful direction, which contains some very deep, meaningful details that are not always particularly uncommon, but instead help set the foundation of the story, which is deeply captivating without ever being too excessive or unnecessarily convoluted, which makes a major difference. Finley is a director who has talent, but his sparse output and the fact that each one of his films is wildly different in tone, intention and genre means that pinning him down to a particular style is nearly impossible, so it makes it difficult to predict what his next move may be – but judging on the films he has made so far, it is doubtlessly going to be something valuable and artistically resonant. A more thoughtful version of a science fiction drama, and a film that blends humour and pathos in fascinating ways, Landscape with Invisible Hand is a wonderful and insightful film that proves that some of the most enticing and captivating explorations of the human condition come in unexpected forms – and all it took was a film about an alien invasion to remind us of the incredible value of simply being alive, something that we usually tend to take for granted, and which Finley and his cohorts set out to subvert throughout this charming and fascinating film.