SXSW Review: ‘Ash’ is a Mix of Gore and Sci-fi that Should Please Genre Lovers

Nearly half a century ago, Alien came to define the space between horror and sci-fi with its chilling tagline “In space no one can hear you scream.” That’s served to influence so many projects since then, which all have different concepts of what a terrifying alien race might look like and spend just as much time building suspense with sounds heard in the distance which characters and audiences alike can’t identify but can tell aren’t friendly. Ash is the lates such entry, which follows one isolated astronaut as she tries to survive after her fellow crew members have been brutally killed.

Riya (Eiza González) awakens in a room missing some of her memories. Every once in a while, as a medical patch she puts on wears off, she gets violent flashes of her colleagues hemorrhaging blood and just moments away from a painful death. She runs scans and tries to locate everyone, and when another crew member, Brion (Aaron Paul), shows up from orbit, she has trouble explaining what happened. Was the crew affected by a pathogen or virus, or is Riya perhaps the one responsible for their deaths, unable to trust her own sanity?

This independent film, which, despite its prolonged darkness, does feel like a big-budget blockbuster, comes from director Flying Lotus. Known for Kuso and V/H/S/99, as well as his extensive music career, he leans into the claustrophobic nature of this film’s setting, with a relatively large and sprawling in-ground station still feeling quite inescapable because there could be danger lurking around every turn. The ominous voice of the malfunctioning computer, including one machine that seems stuck in another language, only adds to the chilling paranoia and the sense that Riya really may be losing her mind. Lotus’ stylized music also contributes positively to the effect.

This is not the only astronaut-centric film to premiere at SXSW this year. Like The Astronaut, starring Kate Mara, this is a female-led story of perseverance, but, in this case, Riya is certain she’s not alone and has the maimed, barely recognizable bodies of her crew around her to remind that things are most certainly not all right. Brion’s presence isn’t all that comforting since she doesn’t recognize him when he shows up, and can’t necessarily trust that everything he’s telling her is the truth, even if it’s good to have another human around in the face of an unknown but clearly malignant threat.

It might be surprising to learn that, despite prominent roles in projects like Baby Driver and 3 Body Problem, this is González’s first time receiving top billing. She works hard to deliver and does a formidable job, investing physically in the character and carrying a film that has sparing dialogue and requires her to be the stand-in for the audience in this hostile environment. As the other human seen alive for the longest time, Paul, a familiar face from Breaking Bad, hews closer to his Westworld performance as someone just trying to execute his mission and calculate the best chances for survival.

This film is a coproduction of RLJE Films, which also has Clown in a Cornfield and Descendent at SXSW this year, and horror streaming service Shudder. The involvement of those parent companies should provide the right context for this film, which features flashes of violence more than straight-up jump scenes but is certainly brutal – and extensively gory – in nature, even if the threat doesn’t pop out from the shadows but instead presents itself in a more lingering manner. While it’s not an entirely original premise, it’s hard to deny its intensity and the visual design of the unseen creatures that do eventually make themselves known. Audiences with the proper expectations for this film – probably closest in tone to Alien but starting after the outbreak of violence – should have no trouble enjoying it.

Movie Rating: 7/10