I.S.S.

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gabriela Cowperthwaite directs. Nick Remy Matthews behind the camera. Anne Nikitin scores. Richard Mettler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Russian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Earned back only 48% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
• 2Released 2 years ago.
• 3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, English.
• 4Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, shot by Nick Remy Matthews. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Anne Nikitin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Richard Mettler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Ariana DeBose and Chris Messina and John Gallagher Jr. carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "The war on earth will be decided in space.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt13655120 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Classified under 17 themes, including "alcohol", "paranoia", "space", "astronaut".

The technical file

Cinematography

Nick Remy Matthews

Original score

Anne Nikitin

Editing

Richard Mettler

Production design

Geoff Wallace

Costume design

Robbie McKeithan

Makeup / hair

J.C. Davis

VFX supervisor

Luis Tinoco

Sound

Matthew T. Duncan

Stunt coordinator

G. Peter King

Runtime

96 min · 1h 36m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$13,800,000

Box office

$6,605,079

Return

48% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

I.S.S. (2024) ↗

Also by

Gabriela Cowperthwaite

• 
  Blackfish

  2013 · ★ 7.9
• 
  The Grab

  2024 · ★ 7.8
• 
  Megan Leavey

  2017 · ★ 7.3
• 
  Our Friend

  2019 · ★ 7.2
• 
  Children of the Underground

  2022 · ★ 7.0
• 
  City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story

  2010

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  :30 Cutdown

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  :30 Salvation

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  :15 Hide

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  :15 Survival

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  Featurette

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• CinemaSerf2024-05-01
  ★ 6/10

  There are times when this drama quite effectively illustrates the claustrophobic nature of life aboard the International Space station that is jointly manned by American and Russian scientists. The arrival of "Foster" (Ariana DeBose) brings the tally to three from each nation but very shortly afterwards it's apparent that things on Earth are no-good. What look like volcanic eruptions are occurring all over the place followed by complete radio silence. Well, almost complete. The Americans are given an order that they must assume their counterparts have been given too. What now ensues is a really mediocre sci-fi thriller that tries far too hard to manufacture tension from a misfiring cast and some serious over-scripting. DeBose does enough I suppose, but Chris Messina is his usual wooden self (even if there is a scene that just made me think of that famous line from Brian Blessed). The visual effects do enough but the characterisations are shallow and the plausibility of the entire scenario is dubious. Essentially two warring tribes cohabiting the same space-borne igloo. The denouement doesn't really make a great deal of sense, but I suppose it does ask us to test the relative merits of human nature and decency against the demands of national loyalty - especially when the benefits of either are ambiguous at best. It's not terrible, but I've seen better episodes of "Space 1999".

  Read full review ↓
• r96sk2024-05-02
  ★ 7/10

  It's good. Coulda been better, but still good. <em>'I.S.S.'</em> gave me enough. I do think it could've been paced better and had a bit more intrigue put in there, though what's produced is satisfying. The titular set looks nice and the zero gravity comes across as convincing, while the sound design et al. is all positive. For me, the cast are very solid. It perhaps could've done with a true star performer as no-one stands far and above their co-stars. Ariana DeBose is more than solid, she is the best of those onscreen; albeit narrowly so. Masha Mashkova and Pilou Asbæk are decent, as also are Chris Messina and Costa Ronin. Nothing spectacular evidently, though this release is a perfectly watchable sci-fi flick. I'd recommend it.

  Read full review ↓
• Brent Marchant2024-06-12
  ★ 4/10

  It’s unfortunate that a good premise can’t be saved from poor execution, but such is the case with this undercooked sci-fi thriller. When three Americans and three Russians aboard the International Space Station are stranded there when war breaks out between the two countries on Earth, the previously congenial crewmates turn against one another when the two teams of astronauts each receive orders to take control of the facility at any cost. The question in this, of course, is why? As a scientific research center, what material value would there be in taking charge of a remote space-based facility to the Earth-bound survivors of a war-ravaged planet? While the reasoning behind this is eventually explained, its revelation is delayed, leaving viewers with a drawn-out mystery that doesn’t make much apparent sense, especially when taking control calls for a team of intelligent, convivial, supposedly mature scientists to instantaneously turn into murderous territorial thugs. And, even when the big reveal is finally made, it seems like it’s hardly justification enough for this kind of behavior from a group of individuals who are allegedly more psychologically evolved and have supposedly risen above the infantile geopolitical bickering of their counterparts on terra firma. That’s particularly true in light of the many (and I do mean many) references to the crew’s “enlightened” outlook and assumed solidarity, qualities that are repeatedly browbeaten into viewers in the film’s opening act. The fault here lies with a rather lame narrative and a screenplay that doesn’t do much to overcome that failing. The special effects are also somewhat underwhelming for a sci-fi offering, one in which the filmmakers could have done considerably more to make the picture more visually engaging. Sadly, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, perhaps best known for the superb documentary “Blackfish” (2013), is in over her head with this release, a project that really could have used a more skillful hand in making it the kind of edge-of-your-seat thriller that it deserved to be. Instead, audiences are left with a mediocre sci-fi tale that feels more like something one would find on the SyFy Channel or some other B-grade cable network. You won’t miss much by skipping this one.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  LD Entertainment

  US

Key crew

• EditorRichard Mettler
• First Assistant DirectorSean Vawter
• Graphic DesignerBrandon Arrington
• Executive ProducerMehrdod Heydari
• Unit Production ManagerAlison Semenza
• Assistant Property MasterMark Cacciatore
• Post Production SupervisorMitchell Grobman
• Executive ProducerMichael Glassman
• ProducerPete Shilaimon
• Production DesignGeoff Wallace
• Key Hair StylistJ.C. Davis
• Second Assistant DirectorScott Hardwick
• Set Decoration BuyerMaria Bentfield
• EditorColin Patton
• Art DirectionKevin Hardison
• Executive ProducerJacob Yakob
• Key Makeup ArtistHeather Richardson
• Executive ProducerAlison Semenza
• Makeup Department HeadLindsay Irish-Desarno
• Property MasterCat Dawson
• Costume DesignRobbie McKeithan
• ProducerMickey Liddell
• Hair Department HeadBryan David Moss
• Set DresserColt Allen

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• alcohol
• paranoia
• space
• astronaut
• zero gravity
• woman director
• thoughtful
• international space station (iss)
• world war
• inspirational
• provocative
• compassionate
• defiant
• powerful
• scathing
• tragic
• wry

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2023-06-12· Tribeca Festival
• Theatrical2024-01-19R

Also known as

International titles

• Международная космическая станцияRU
• S.S.I.CA
• Tarptautinė kosminė stotisLT
• Estación espacial internacionalMX
• I.S.S. - תחנת החללIL
• I.S.S. - Internationale RaumstationDE
• I.S.S. - International Space StationCH