Spaceship

Spaceship is a British production released in 2016, a distinctive and visually-arresting movie sitting comfortably in the realm of surrealism. It is an unconventional film that might not adhere to traditional storytelling norms, but it has gained acknowledgement for its distinctive approach, praise for its craftsmanship, and acknowledgement for creating a vivid, imaginative universe of its own. Directed by Alex Taylor, the 90-minute film stars talented actors Alexa Davies, Lara Peake, and Tallulah Haddon, who masterfully bring to life an unusual story revolving around themes of youth, rebellion, identity, and alien abduction.

Spaceship tells the story of Lucidia, portrayed by impressive newcomer Alexa Davies, a teenage cyber-goth whose peculiar, much-discussed disappearance yields a series of events revealing the disruptive performances and unusual fantasies of a group of misfit youth. Her father Gabriel, who is an archaeologist that specialises in burial rituals, has no time to grieve for his daughter’s unsettling disappearance but has to unravel the mystery surrounding it instead.

As the narrative unfolds, the viewer is introduced to an eccentric yet colourful cast comprising Lucidia's charming boyfriend Luke (played by Lucian Charles Collier) enamoured with Viking rituals, her friend Alice (played by Tallulah Haddon) who seems constantly lost in her dreamy bubble of psychedelic hallucinations, and Tegan (played by Lara Peake), who claims to have been abducted by aliens.

The story is set amidst beautiful English countrysides and the grungy underbellies of small towns, giving a lavish visual palette that contrasts beautifully with the ostensible grimness of the narrative. The shifting hues and kaleidoscopic imagery create a unique atmosphere, one that seamlessly blends the everyday with the extraordinary, the introspective and surreal with the brusquely real. The film employs a sophisticated visual language to create this eccentric universe, which is further complemented by an enthralling trance-psychedelic type soundtrack that helps sustain the dreamlike quality permeating the film's atmosphere.

Beyond a linear narrative, Spaceship challenges the viewers as it dives deep into its explorations of teenage angst, individual crises, and societal rebelliousness. The film is a brave depiction of a young generation in their quest for identity, searching for ways to escape the oppressive mundanity of the everyday reality they inhabit, their dreams of benevolent aliens, their fantasies representing a refuge, an escape from a world that they feel alienated from.

Even in its understated moments, the film is imbued with an unpredictability and inherent curiosity that force an audience to question what is to come. This curiosity is spurred on by the director’s bold narrative choices, unafraid to step into the abstract and unravel the motivations of his atypical characters inch by inch. Full of symbology and open-ended questions, Alex Taylor's Spaceship is an unflinching exploration of youth and culture, standing as a courageous disregard for mainstream storytelling in favour of something more interpretative and bold.

Spaceship is one of those films that leave a lasting impression, step outside the box of traditional storytelling, and ask its audience to do the same. Taylor’s willingness to embrace the surreal and the unconventional provides a thought-provoking and inarguably unique viewing experience. In this film, he creates a world in which the intrinsic peculiarity of youth and their rite of passage reveals a fascinating, disquieting beauty that forces us to confront both its and our own sense of alienness.

With strong performances from Alexa Davies, Lara Peake, and Tallulah Haddon who breathe life into their complicated characters, Spaceship is a daring and unconventional depiction of the coming-of-age genre that is sure to linger in your mind for quite a while.