Subdued yet bold, Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) is an unexpected treat, straddling multiple genres and tones so interestingly it’s difficult to put a finger on it — other than to recognize its unique approach and effectively packaged perspective. In the 2030s, a strange alien race known as the Vuvv has conquered the Earth, completely upending the socioeconomic order with advanced technologies. Humanity has been forced to react to the Vuvv’s stranglehold on daily life; the lucky ones have migrated to luxurious floating cities that block out the sky, while everyone else remains in the depressed ruins on the ground. Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) is a high-school student who channels his inchoate feelings about the occupation into painting. He’s fortunate in that his mother, Beth (Tiffany Haddish), is a lawyer, able to sustain a middle-class existence for Adam and his sister Natalie (Brooklynn MacKinzie). The Campbell household is thrown into disarray when Adam makes a connection with new student named Chloe (Kylie Rogers), whose family — decimated by the new economic landscape — is living out of its car. Driven by his attraction to Chloe, Adam invites her, her father (Josh Hamilton), and her brother Hunter (Michael Gandolfini) to live in their basement. This act of charity quickly proves problematic, bringing the Campbells’ privilege into sharp relief and leading to stress between the families. Their collective efforts to get by ultimately cause conflict with the Vuvv, who insidiously work their way into the household, threatening to blow it all up.
Landscape with Invisible Hand, as the title implies, is about capitalism, and the decency-warping effects it has on society. That the allegory is obvious doesn’t rob it of its power, and the quiet proceedings soften the message with a subdued eye, giving enough weight to the characters and their interpersonal struggles to let them sell the argument. The Vuvv, meanwhile, are comically animated, inscrutable, and devoid of empathy, which makes their evil disarming and abstract, as both the tone and the metaphor requires. Through all the drama, Adam keeps painting, the passage of time and the shifting of theme reflected in his work. This secondary focus on art, and its ugly relationship with commerce, gives the commentary another thought-provoking layer. Even discounting the messaging, Landscape with Invisible Hand is a moving, smart entertainment, with all-too-relatable characters, including a welcome appearance from William Jackson Harper. It’s a gentle, earnest little masterpiece, and I kind of loved it.
