With I Want to Live on Mars, Mariya Somova has written and directed an adorable, off-kilter and poignant film about people just trying to find their place in the world. The film is off-putting, and I mean that in the best possible way, as it follows a group of loners who live in a strange, abandoned town, left to their devices. What’s beautiful is the way that Somova sets the scene, placing a wholesome ensemble of lovable characters in a delipidated setting where they can do as they please. The film, for lack of a better genre category, is a hang out film, through and through. We watch a variety of characters, the young Pickle, the old Mike, Breezy, her mother, and others as they live a quiet and simple life among each other. The plot that eventually reveals itself is one of escape, wherein Pickles and Breezy become quick friends and decide they want to run away together. What leads to this is a series of beautifully shot pieces of human connection, where characters start alone and eventually find one another. It is an absolutely beautifully shot film that takes full advantage of its location, tracking its characters through the woods, abandoned households, and endless roads that seem to go nowhere.

My favorite aspect of the film must be its strange sense of humor. The performances can range from grandiose to deadpan, with each character bringing a certain philosophy and personality to the screen that is further complicated by each meeting they have with one another. There are conversations that range from condiment preference to life and death, and they never feel out of place. It's a wonderful movie to be able to sit with, lending itself meditative scenes that allow you to reflect, undercutting them with scenes of hilarious or heartbreaking dialogue. The cast is great and works very well as a team whenever they are together, eating dinner, or just trying to understand each other further. Betty Stolar certainly stands out as the “main” protagonist, Pickles, though each character has more than enough time to shine. There is a searing mother-daughter dynamic, and outside of that relationship most characters first appear on their own, with Pickles representing a stagnant youth and Mike representing a world-worn elder. It's great to see a film that just allows its characters to be themselves, often without much conflict to be worried about. There isn’t much of a driving action outside of Breezy and Pickles plan to leave, which makes it a film that’s very easy to get lost in.

The look of the film cannot be understated, as there is also a lot of great stuff to see as far as cinematography, lighting, and visual effects. The more intense scenes are accompanied by bold lighting or otherwise some form of visual trickery that gives the film a very psychedelic feel. It truly captures what a “trip” it can be to be a human in this world, and placing its lost characters in an isolated community goes to show the power of human connection, the strongest theme running through the film’s runtime. There are moments of conflict, anger, despair, and sadness, but at the end of the day these moments are outweighed by the wholesome and simple acts of kindness and relatability that the characters share so often. It's certainly not like most any film I’ve seen before, which is rare, and while its themes are timeless, its mode of storytelling is very off the wall and is sure to keep you guessing what might come next. I Want to Live on Mars is screening at the 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival be sure to check it out!

I Want to Live on Mars screens at the 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival on Friday, June 7! The film will be available online for 24 hours on this day and will also be shown in-person at 7:00 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase here.

The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, in association with the Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies, presents the 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival which marks its 29th Anniversary. The NJIFF competition will be taking place on the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between May 31 - June 9, 2024 and will be a hybrid one with online as well as in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. The in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date.  Note: The Screenings on June 1 will be in Milledoler Hall #100/ Rutgers University, 520 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ.

Plus, The NJIFF is very proud to announce that acclaimed singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler will be in concert on Saturday, June 15 in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ at 7PM.  General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program; General Admission Marissa Nadler Concert Ticket=$25. For more info go here: https://2024newjerseyinternationalfilmfestival.eventive.org/welcome