A young Brooklyn couple head to an upstate cabin to unplug from technology and reconnect with each other, but are blissfully unaware when Earth comes under attack. A film by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, starring Sunita Mani, John Reynolds, and Ben Sinclair.

Su (Sunita Mani) and Jack (John Reynolds), a couple addicted to social media and the internet, rely almost entirely on the information they find online. One evening, Su becomes furious when she discovers that Jack used her computer to search for a bread recipe, inadvertently closing all of her work-related browser tabs in the process.

Later that evening, they both attend a party at a bar, where Su meets their friend Blake (John Early), who regales her with his wedding plans in Mexico City. By chance, Su and Jack run into their old friend Raph (Ben Sinclair), recently returned from Managua Volcano in Nicaragua. Raph enthralls them with his fascinating project of 3D-printed surfboards made from algae, sparking Jack’s interest in pursuing an impactful endeavor himself. Raph kindly offers them a stay at his grandfather’s cabin upstate, which he has been restoring.

Su and Jack decide to disconnect from the world for a week, without their phones or laptops, and embark on a journey to Raph’s grandfather’s cabin, oblivious to the impending arrival of extraterrestrial visitors who will disrupt the world as they know it.

While staying at the secluded cabin, they hear multiple gunshots and a woman’s scream echoing from the distant woods below the mountain, but dismiss them as part of hunting season. At night, they witness several shooting stars, some moving in unnatural trajectories.

The next day, after returning to their secluded cabin from canoeing on the nearby pond, Jack notices a pouffe on the floor and wonders if it has been there all along. Su, preoccupied with a life improvement list she took a note from the internet earlier, dismisses Jack’s concern, asserting that it is unlikely that an outsider would have entered and placed a pouffe in their cabin. Jack, frustrated by Su’s obsession with the list, takes an axe outside and begins splitting firewood, unaware that the pouffe has mysteriously vanished. Seizing the opportunity while Jack is outside, Su checks her voicemail messages and receives several from her mother, who describes strange creatures attracted to ethanol roaming New York City.

Su observes that the half-full bottle of whiskey they left on the table is now empty, and Jack is enraged to realize that his sourdough starter is gone, assuming that a raccoon ate it. However, Su discovers a minute hole on both the whiskey bottle and the sourdough jar, suggesting that something pierced both containers and drained their contents.

SAVE YOURSELVES! is a science fiction comedy film written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, in their directorial debut. The film features an interesting blend of alien invasion and romantic comedy, elevated by the naturally charming leads, John Reynolds and Sunita Mani.

The first half of the film compellingly depicts a couple disconnecting from the world to rediscover themselves in a secluded cabin, unaware that the world is crumbling under an alien attack. The filmmakers spent most of the film focusing on the couple, their sometimes childish relationship, and their reactions after learning of the alien invasion.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers missed the opportunity to make the alien more iconic than a pouffe with a retractable tongue, perhaps intentionally making it a background element of the story. However, as a sci-fi lover, I would have found it more interesting if they had provided more detail about the alien, such as how it could destroy the world if two ordinary people managed to kill it.

While the beautiful cinematography and music elevate the tension and comedic tone, the supposedly scary elements lose their impact in broad daylight. The film includes flaws such as overexplained dialogue that is both annoying and unimaginative, and illogical and erratic behavior from the couple towards the end, making them seem like lunatics.

SAVE YOURSELVES! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2020. It was theatrically released in the United States on 2 October, by Bleecker Street.