Chattanooga Film Festival 2025 Coverage
Universe25 review
Universe25 feels like discovering a lost film from the late 80s/early 90s. In the best way.
Festival movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Universe25
Directed by Richard Melkonian
Written by Richard Melkonian
Starring Giacomo Gex, Ana Maria Guran, Dan Sociu, Andre Flynn, Alex Bogdan, Tania Khan, Jacob Meadows and Alec Christie
Universe25 Review
Have you ever stumbled upon a movie from another era that no one bothered to tell you to seek out? I’m sure that you have…that’s a dumb question. I remember watching 1987’s The Hidden about a decade ago and wondering why it wasn’t something that came up on lists of awesome movies to check out from the 80s. The biggest success I’ve had with a (nearly) random watch is 1981’s Andrej Żuławski masterpiece Possession. I had heard about Possession…but it wasn’t readily available in its full form in the US until a few years ago. Hearing that it was hitting the Shudder streaming service…I gave it a try knowing little to nothing about what it was. Now it’s one of my favorite films and on the shortlist of the best movies I’ve ever seen. What does any of this have to do with Universe25…a new movie making festival rounds?
Universe25 feels like a movie I discovered from the late 80s/early 90s. It isn’t, of course. It’s brand new. I also can’t claim it belongs in the same category of Possession…a movie I gave a rare 5 out of 5 after one viewing. But Universe25 does elicit a similar feeling. The feeling of watching something that engages you in a way you can’t quite understand…but you can’t look away from. A movie that you know won’t be for everyone…but is decidedly for you. A movie that makes you wonder why no one ever told you about it. In this case…it’s because Universe25 didn’t exist before now. Consider this me telling you about it.
Mott (Giacomo Gex) is an angel on a mission. Sent by his Master (Andre Flynn) to find a saint on Earth. Mott believes he has identified the saint…but as his journey brings him closer to humanity…he begins to identify something even bigger. Himself.
Right off the bat I’m going to tell you that not everything in Universe25 made total sense to me after one watch. A truth I will be sure to rectify when it becomes readily available for viewing on VOD one day. Not everything has to add up to enjoy a movie. In this case…not everything has to add up to be transfixed by one either. Giacomo Gex’s Mott begins his quest as a cold and distant character. The story is as much about his journey as it is about his quest. Gex gives a fascinating performance that evolves over the course of the picture.
Mott’s quest involves three steps. Find this saint who is unaware of who he is. Sacrifice a lamb. Record his journey. Seems easy enough…especially when Mott believes he has found the saint in the form of Andrei (Dan Sociu) a choreographer/failed crypto gambler with a distressed wife and a penchant for cheating. Mott’s Master mostly communicates with him over the phone…though we do finally see him in the flesh. Kind of. This key communication, fulfilling one of those three quests, seems to happen in a dream. Because, you see, everything in Universe25 may not be what it seems.
While the plot, true character identities and success of Mott’s journey can be left up to some interpretation…what isn’t is how incredible Universe25 looks and feels. When I tell you that it feels like discovering a lost film from the late 80s/early 90s…I mean every word of it. It doesn’t just look like a classic movie with its grainy film stock and patiently beautiful cinematography…it feels like one too. As if someone dropped a pre-digital 1992 independent film out of nowhere. Great visuals are accompanied by a fittingly great score.
There is one aspect of Universe25 that didn’t quite work for me…though I understand its inclusion. There’s a bit of a wrap around story about an employee in the Dead Letters department who finds Mott’s writings about his quests. The story we watch is basically told from this text…and, yes, recording these things is one of the three things Mott needs to accomplish. The scenes are very short…but they feel a bit too out of place from the rest of the movie. The story needed to find a way to show Mott’s third quest being completed. I just wonder if there was a better way than a few jarring cuts to otherwise unconnected characters who feel like they exist in a different movie.
It’s a small complaint for a movie that reaches peaks of highly creative moments and captivates interest. The overall package of Universe25 may not appeal to everyone…but if it does appeal to you…you’re going to love it. I’d like to think that even those turned off by an existential character piece about a person who may or may not be an angel will find things about Universe25 that interest them. There’s something cool about a quiet possible impending apocalypse movie playing out like an early 90s independent drama. And Mott’s discovery of humanity is an arc worth anyone’s investment. There’s even a brief and unexpected musical interlude. Yes. Really.
Scare Value
Universe25 can get a bit confusing…but you also can’t take your mind off it. A gorgeously shot picture with a total commitment to its uniquely told story. The lead performance from Giacomo Gex is enough to recommend Universe25 on its own…but there is a lot more to like here. Although I’m not convinced the framing story was necessary…it doesn’t take up a lot of real estate. At its core, this is a fascinating story about an angel looking for a saint. … Maybe.
