Liv

Liv is a cat and mouse sci-fi adventure with meaningful stakes. It's a suspenseful journey into the motivations behind our actions. How do we allow ourselves to follow orders, despite moral ambiguity? When does a missions become personal? What would we do to survive?

Liv sets out to help us answer these questions.

The most astounding thing about Liv is the universe that these characters inhabit. It feels entirely lived in and expansive. The characters have years on their face, and they speak about entire quadrants of the galaxy that are foreign to us. The plot is relatively simple, a bounty hunter loses his bounty on a mysterious planet so he must retrieve it by whatever means necessary. The plot is not what this film hangs its hat on, it's the execution of the plot that is so impressive. At the root of the film is a character study. An examination of our innate stubbornness, and willingness to follow orders. Moral ambiguity is where this film thrives as we see what we believe is the good guy, carry out deeds that feel distinctly uncompassionate.

No doubt this film is only as impressive because of the performances by Kasey James and Brenden Bean, who play Liv and Rot respectively. James feels relentlessly charismatic while Bean is scrappy and obnoxious. They are oil and water in this film, and they play off each other quite well. However, this dynamic evolves over the rountime. The most notable moment is towards the end while in the midst of deadly combat. Bean allows his character to finally release all his pent up frustration onto James' character, bringing him into a inch of his life. James, who in a moment of extreme tension, is cool and collected like we have known him to be. He learns from his mistakes throughout the film, and always have a plan up his sleeve. There is also the character of Lucca, played by J.B. Smoove. Lucca is a perfect companion for the no-nonsense Liv. Ironically, Lucca feels more human than Liv, simply because Liv is a killer who is out on a mission. Lucca is actually concerned about the consequences for Liv if he tracks Rot down, while as Liv only has one goal in mind, eradication.

No doubt that Smith and Jackson, the co-directors of the film, have tapped into a unique science-fiction experience. Drawing inspiration from Star Wars with the world building, and maybe even some Sam Raimi with the way the film is shot. There is one moment towards the end of the film that I don't want to spoil here, but it feels uniquely Raimi. The duo seem to have just a great understanding of what makes science-fiction a compelling genre. They are always using the camera in interesting ways, and the shots never feel static. A standout moment of directing is during a fight on the beach. The camera moves around so chaotically, that it really engages the viewer.

Liv is propulsive storytelling at its finest. It's a wonderful piece of indie filmmaking, that demands your attention. Hopefully this directing duo continues to gives us glimpses into this universe and all the stories that no doubt inhabit it.