U Are the Universe

In the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion, Ukrainian cinema has largely turned toward war and politics. U Are the Universe, however, offers a rare and refreshing detour. Pavlo Ostrikov’s sci-fi comedy imagines a post-apocalyptic future where Earth has exploded, leaving working-class nuclear waste trucker Andriy seemingly the last human alive, until a message arrives from Catherine, a French scientist aboard a distant space station.

What unfolds is a tender, quietly absurd romance between two very different people, shaped as much by their loneliness as by their unexpected bond. Alongside them is Maxim, Andriy’s AI assistant, who insists on logic and order in a world that no longer has either. But as the film gently suggests, humans are not machines, we aren’t meant to make perfect decisions, only meaningful ones. With humor, warmth, and a disarming emotional core, U Are the Universe resists the gravity of despair. It transforms cosmic isolation into a space for joy, intimacy, and hope—reminding us that love and laughter are sometimes the most radical acts in the face of destruction.