The film uses a smart non-linear structure, two storylines feeding context into each other so that every reveal shifts the meaning of what you just watched. The dialogue is warm and funny, though occasionally a bit too cheeky for a movie set against the possible extinction of all life on Earth.

And then, somewhere in the second act, Grace meets someone. I am deliberately keeping this vague because the way this encounter unfolds, how it is shot, how the sound design shifts into full horror-movie territory, how two fundamentally incompatible beings figure out how to communicate, is one of the most rewarding sequences in the entire film. You deserve to experience it cold. What I will say: a vocal performance gives genuine emotional depth to a character with almost nothing conventional to emote with, and it is the standout of the cast. The VFX is equally restrained, tactile, believable, never over-designed for cuteness. Strange and slightly unsettling and absolutely wonderful.

Ryan Gosling makes every beat feel genuine performing against green screen, charismatic and committed, though honestly still playing the Gosling persona. You never fully forget who you’re watching. Sandra Hüller does something quietly brilliant, taking a character that was stone-cold in the book and adding visible human cracks. Her arc with Grace reaches its peak during a cover of “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles, a thematic gut-punch that fits the story perfectly.