About a week ago, after having it in my queue for a very long time, I put on Aniara as my boyfriend had already fallen asleep and I'd kind of been waiting to watch it by myself (I had a feeling it wouldn't vibe with him and I was probably right idk).

It's a Swedish sci-fi flick from 2018 that's technically a remake of a mid-century film, and both films were based upon a poem written in 1956 by Harry Martinson.

I wasn't really sure what to expect; the cover art was eye-catching, but the Netflix description was pretty vague, and I didn't want to look it up online at risk of reading too much.

But I was definitely not expecting what I saw, and this film has been on my brain ever since, which hasn't really happened since I first watched The Life of Pi.

Most sci-fi seems to focus on the gadgets, the tech, the unknowns and wonders of space and distant worlds; which is neither surprising nor necessarily bad.

But Aniara has such a potent human element that all the usual "sci-fi" stuff feels almost understated, like secondary elements. In the grand scheme of the story it makes sense; the focus is on humanity, our idiosynchrasies, and our place in the universe.

Have you seen it? Or have you read the poem? Is it sitting in your queue? Tbh I recommend giving it a go if you're into truly speculative fiction. Fair warning though, there are some...graphic scenes. c': The poem does contain some mature themes too but the language and imagery are...both obvious and not-obvious at the same time. oTL

The Poem in English || Aniara on IMDB