XENO

Small in scale but big in heart. Sure, it reminded me of earlier sci-fi films, but Xeno offers a lot in character to make up for an otherwise formulaic story. The stakes escalate organically without being overly dramatic. It’s reserved and knows when to hold back better than other similar sci-fi classics that can get corny.

Xeno is a coming-of-age tale with a moving lead performance from Lulu Wilson as Renee, who grieves the loss of her father. Suffering bonds a human and an alien on their journey to escape it. While we understand what ails Renee, other characters have more subtle clues to past loss. Chase (Paul Schneider) is the alcoholic boyfriend using Renee and her mom, Linda (Wrenn Schmidt), as targets for his misplaced anger. And he himself is a self-inflicted punishment Linda brings into their lives after losing her husband.

The alien is a gorgeous creature with a unique design. Chased by a shadowy organization, the alien, Renee named Croak, also shows signs of innocence, as do many ferocious creatures. The standout performance for me comes from one of the alien captors, played menacingly by Omari Hardwick. Like Chase, he is another man letting his past pain guide him in pursuit of a target for his anger. The way he grasps a toy car we know must belong to a lost child; his speech, inflection, every move he makes tells us all we need to know about him.

Lulu Wilson does so great in showing the transition of a young child moving beyond pain when so many around her can’t get past it. Each character themselves tells a story and moves the plot forward. They all mirror the creature in how pain shaped their lives and their refusal to let it go, because it’s easier to hate someone else than face yourself. For all his compassion, Croak reminds us he is still a beast deep down, but then aren’t we all?