Aniara (2018) & High Life (2018): Existential Space Journeys | EP11
- May 21, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 9
The Bleak Side of Space Sci-Fi
In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we continue our journey through the space subgenre, but this time we look at two films that strip away the adventure and optimism often associated with space exploration.
Instead, Aniara (2018) and High Life (2018) present space as something far more unsettling — a vast, indifferent void where humanity is forced to confront its own fragility.
First we discuss Aniara, the Swedish sci-fi drama about a spaceship transporting refugees from a ruined Earth to Mars that is knocked off course and left drifting endlessly through space.
Then we explore High Life, Claire Denis’ strange and unsettling space film about a group of prisoners sent on a deep-space mission toward a black hole as part of a scientific experiment.
Together these films explore the psychological and philosophical consequences of humanity venturing too far into the unknown.
Because here on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we explore the history of science-fiction cinema one subgenre at a time.
Listen to the full episode below:
What We Discuss In This Episode
In this episode we talk about:
• How Aniara explores existential despair in deep space
• The idea of space travel without hope of return
• Claire Denis’ unconventional approach to science fiction in High Life
• Isolation, human behaviour and survival in extreme environments
• Why modern sci-fi sometimes portrays space as terrifying rather than heroic
Aniara (2018) – Drifting Into the Void
Directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, Aniara imagines a future where Earth has become largely uninhabitable, forcing humanity to migrate to Mars.
A luxury transport ship carrying settlers is knocked off course after a collision with debris, leaving it without propulsion and drifting endlessly through space.
As the years pass, the passengers must come to terms with the terrifying reality that they may never reach their destination.
The film focuses less on spectacle and more on the psychological effects of isolation, asking how humans cope when faced with the endless emptiness of space.
High Life (2018) – A Mission Into Darkness
Released the same year, High Life takes a very different but equally disturbing approach to space travel.
Directed by Claire Denis, the film follows a group of criminals sent into deep space on a mission toward a black hole while serving as subjects in scientific experiments.
Rather than presenting space as heroic or exciting, the film portrays it as a harsh and deeply isolating environment where human behaviour becomes increasingly unstable.
The result is a strange and philosophical sci-fi film that pushes the genre into darker territory.
Space Without Hope
Together, Aniara and High Life represent one of the most unsettling directions in modern science fiction.
Rather than focusing on exploration or discovery, both films ask what happens when humanity is confronted with the vast indifference of the universe.
In these stories, space is not an adventure — it’s a mirror reflecting humanity’s deepest fears about isolation, mortality and the limits of survival.
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About Journey Through Sci-Fi
Journey Through Sci-Fi is a podcast exploring the strange, visionary and world-changing history of science-fiction cinema.
Each series focuses on a different sci-fi subgenre, examining the films and ideas that shaped the genre - from classic cinema to modern science-fiction storytelling
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