We’ve all heard the phrase, “I wouldn’t if you were the last man on Earth!” In the Venezuelan sci-fi drama La Jaula (The Cage) (2017), director José Salaverría and writer Inti Torres Melo answer back with, “Are you sure?”

As an alien spacecraft hangs in the sky over the lush forests of rural Venezuela, a man scavenges for supplies and a woman tries to put her home back together as it should be, dressing up mannequins to represent her missing parents. The man, Fausto (Juvel Vielma), misses their anniversary. The woman, Eva (Karina Velasquez), laments to her “parents” that she has doubts about the relationship she finds herself stuck in. All the same, they do their best to live on and put their rocky past behind them, fearing that they may be the last two people on Earth.

One day, they find a wanderer, Dafne (Ananda Troconis), and take her in. Dafne was in the city when the rest of humanity disappeared, and says she found Eva and Fausto by “following the lights” from the alien ships which hang overhead. She quickly adjusts to the idea that she isn’t the last human on Earth, helping Eva with the farm chores and Fausto with his scavenging. The three quickly become close, even staging a wedding. After all, they’re the only humans they’ve seen in a long time. Why shouldn’t they “legalize” polyamory?

Though they seem happy, a metaphor about an ant farm hints at something darker, and Eva’s doubts about her relationship with Fausto don’t go away just because of Dafne. Even in the apocalypse, they want different things, as humans are wont to do. The Cage showcases the persistence of humanity – the good and the bad.

At an hour and twenty-three minutes, The Cage doesn’t feel too horribly long, with gorgeous visuals buffing a plot that could have otherwise gotten real boring real fast. Venezuela’s natural landscape is on full display here, and some giant extraterrestrial foliage brings to mind the stunning sci-fi visuals of cosmic horror favorites Annihilation and Color Out of Space – both made around the same time as The Cage. If you like your sci-fi movies pretty, you’ll love this one.

But, if you like your sci-fi movies more, well, sci-fi, this may prove unsatisfying. The focus is on the human drama, with the arrival of extraterrestrial vessels more of a catalyst for the protagonists to address their issues than the conflict they must resolve. And, hey! Sometimes, we want to see that. Whether you enjoy it or not depends on whether you want to focus on the “sci-fi” or the “drama” in “sci-fi drama.”

7.5 out of 10