U Are the Universe: Pavlo Ostrikov’s sci-fi film manages to keep the tone light and entertaining despite its monumentally distressing setup: in the near future, a regular Ukrainian space trucker, on a trip to one of Jupiter’s moons, believes to be the last human alive after Earth explodes. His only company is a robot, until he hears from a Frenchwoman stuck nearby-ish. Thematically, the film is about companionship, so even if the specifics are literally way out there, it’s still very relatable. Volodymyr Kravchuk plays the cosmonaut, essentially by himself in every scene, and he projects all aspects effectively: boredom, joy, despair. Leonid Popadko voices his companion robot in a fine performance, and Alexia Depicker voices the woman warmly, creating a nice chemistry with the protagonist. Production designers Vladlen Odudenko and Mariia Denysenko create a decidedly low-tech spaceship, a fine choice for what is a blue-collar character; the design for the robot is simple and inspired. Cinematographer Nikita Kuzmenko does a lot with dynamic lighting and the framing of the tight spaces. The varied music selection helps a lot to set the mood.