What do a little person and a sex worker have in common? Well, on paper, it seems like not a lot. However, in writer/director Juan Felipe Zuleta‘s heartfelt and character-driven Unidentified Objects, two unlikely characters join each other on an out-of-this-world road trip that forces them to analyze their personal lives.

Zuleta’s film, which was co-written with Leland Frankel, is an endearing piece of filmmaking. Sarah Hay plays Winona, who’s convinced she needs to meet aliens at a destination in Canada so they can beam her up a final time. She calls them “the bridge people,” and she’s certain that wherever they’re going to take her is better than life on Earth. Matthew Jeffers plays Peter, a Chekhov-obsessed, gay little person who gets swept up in the road trip after lending his vehicle to Winona. Initially, he says no, but she just won’t take no for an answer.

Plenty clicks with this film, especially the character growth. Peter first comes across as bitter and cranky, reeling from the death of his friend and defensive over his dwarfism. He blames himself for the loss and keeps a picture of her in one of his favorite Chekhov books. As the film goes on, however, he and Winona force each other to change. I guess several hours in a pink jeep with each other just may do that. They push and challenge each other, causing self-reflection. Both Jeffers and Hay give strong performances, and thank goodness, since a majority of the film centers around them. The other characters are a fleeting part of their road trip, there to trigger some real emotions in the leads or to offer sage advice before disappearing.

It could have been easy for this film to traffic in stereotypes. On the one hand, they’re evident, but only as a means for the writing duo to flip them on their head. Most importantly, these are two pretty complex characters, each with their own challenges, history, and struggles. What’s especially beautiful about this film is how Winona and Peter gradually open up to each other, confront what makes them unhappy, and then put in the work to feel better about life.

This film does have a few fantastical and otherworldly elements regarding aliens, and it’s really up to the viewer to decide whether or not these scenes are meant to be reality or Peter and Winona’s daydreams. Typically, these scenes trigger various epiphanies that cause the two leads to self-reflect. There’s also an absurdity to these sequences that add some needed levity.

Unidentified Objects is really like no other sci-fi film. Despite the title and plot, this isn’t a movie about little green men. Rather, it’s about two characters on a road trip who desperately ache for acceptance and love. Maybe they’re not so different from each other after all. At its core, this is a very human film with a surprisingly optimistic streak that surprises.

7.5 Out of 10