[Review]: Our Effed Up World

Finn, Poppy and Hank

One of the most prolific indie horror filmmakers, Alice Maio Mackay, is back, with Jane

Schoenbrun (I Saw The TV Glow, Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma) in the producer chair, with Our Effed Up World. Having had its world premiere at this year’s Frameline Film Festival, Our Effed Up World is an emotive sci-fi depicting an intergalactic battle against an entity which is intent on eating earth and its resources.

Sheri (Sara Thompson) is a young woman, reeling from the recent loss of her much beloved grandmother, and living with her space-obsessed scientist dad who’s whole world is turned upside down when an alien creature begins to attack her small town with the objective of feeding off the earth. 

Despite her young age, director Alice Maio Mackay has an absolute catalogue of titles to her name, and has truly become the torch bearer for low budget, b-movie inspired horror with a strong spine for social commentary. With a nod to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) in T-Blockers (2023), and the giallo-esque Carnage for Christmas (2024), Mackay has always had a flair for telling queer horror stories wrapped up in a fun and chaotic punk-rock independent sensibility. Our Effed Up World is the director’s turn at filmmaking with a slightly higher budget, resulting in a shiny, safe and wholesome science-fiction tale which wouldn’t be completely out of place as an episode of BBC’s Doctor Who. 

Despite lacking in any sort of strength throughout the plot development or narration, the sweetness of Our Effed Up World lies in its cast of characters. Sara Thompson as Sheri is perfectly complimented by her two friends Poppy (Annapurna Sriram) and Finn (Jess McLeod), as well as her doting dad Hank (Scott Major), making up a group of earthlings that audiences can really get behind. 

Sheri played by Sara Thompson

Our Effed Up World is an incredibly sweet and short sci-fi tinged depiction of the importance of friendship and family, however it unfortunately lacks the punk-rock sentiment that makes Mackay’s previous films so damn punchy and unique. 

2 Screams out of 5