Rating: NR | Runtime: 93 minutes
Release Date: February 9th, 2024 (USA)
Studio: Level 33 Entertainment
Director(s): Michael Lukk Litwak
Writer(s): Michael Lukk Litwak

Oh my science!

What’s the point of love in a world hurtling towards oblivion? Is it enough to just not want to be alone? These are the questions Molli (Zosia Mamet) and Max (Aristotle Athari) ask through their actions if not actual words as they traverse time and space on a quest for meaning in the meaninglessness of empty desires born from a capitalistic system placing value on conformity, celebrity, and the manipulative art of fearmongering. Michael Lukk Litwak’s Molli and Max in the Future is thus very much about existing in our present.

Hillary v Trump. COVID. Religious indoctrination. Global warming. Genocide. Cancel culture. It’s all included beneath the thin veneer of science fiction by way of excellent lo-fi, in-camera practical effects. What begins as a meet-cute in space between a rebel (Molli trolling the galaxy for magic crystals to try and elevate herself above the restrictions of humanity) and a nerd (Max’s tech genius introvert devoid of the confidence to give his ideas life) soon unfolds as an episodic evolution of self wherein both become an indelible part of the other’s life.

They unwittingly inspire each other to pursue their dreams and, inevitably, to recognize they were so blinded by that pursuit to acknowledge the results weren’t quite what they hoped to find. Flirtation leads to friendship. Casual reunions lead to them becoming each other’s confidant. They try to right their ships, vent about the impending (but avoidable) doom to which every species has resigned itself by refusing to change, and distract themselves with relationships born from a yearning to have someone—anyone—by their side.

Should they accept they are soul mates and stop lying to themselves about the alternative? Probably. But doing so is easier said than done when your entire existence hinges on the existential dread and anxiety born from the insecurities and fallibilities of mankind. They’ve been wrong before. They’ve fallen prey to the allure of others only seeking to exploit them. They’ve seen joy and pleasure die. So, why risk all that again with the only person who was there to help get through it the first time? Why volunteer to be the person who isn’t good enough for the other and ruin what they have for something they can’t?

The answer, of course, is because they can. If they allow themselves to believe. That’s the real existential quandary on display. Not Turboschmuck’s (Michael Chernus) trash dimension. Not Walter’s (Arturo Castro) unyielding positivity keeping him enamored with a cult leader he consciously admits is a cult leader. Not the inherent contrasts of a quantum dimensional paradox or the nihilism born from an extinction you yourself caused. No, it’s the struggle to accept that the person you’ve become because of their help and the person they’ve become because of your help are both deserving of love. They’re both enough for love.

Litwak draws an entertaining path towards discovering this truth—even if it might come a little too late … if “too late” is even a real thing considering any arrival, no matter how brief, is success. Mamet and Athari are as charming as the production design and fully on-board with each chapter’s new metaphor for our current social and political chaos or philosophical punchline despite the episodic nature rendering the whole too stilted for its own good. Thankfully the laughs born from these scenarios are enough to keep us on-board for the next one, sustaining our hope for Molli and Max to finally get out of their own way.

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Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari in MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE; courtesy of Level 33 Entertainment.