In German sci-fi “Final Voyage” two people search in space for a new home

Final Voyage (2019), also known as Das letzte Land in the original German language, is another proof that with passion and a good technique anyone can make an enjoyable science-fiction movie placed in deep space.

The movie centers on two outlaws on the run who encounter an old abandoned spaceship in the desert. At the last minute, they escape their pursuers into space and set off in search of a new home. More and more, however, they are drawn into fundamentally different directions. While Adem discovers the ship’s enigmatic past, Novak is increasingly drawn into the spell of hypnotic power.

The movie is the debut film of producer, writer, and director Marcel Barion, who has also been in charge of several technical duties like cinematographer, image and sound editor, composer, and visual effects creator. The debutants Milan Pesl and Torben Föllmer form the cast.

In a world where digital effects are dominant, it is a gift for the eyes to face a movie where mostly all the effects are practical. The filmmakers avoided CGI at all costs. The computer was only used for compositing layers of practical effects, like classically built models and miniatures (spaceship, space station…), simple holes in black cardboard (stars), color shapes in a water tank (clouds and space nebulae), pancakes (landscapes and planet surfaces) or styrofoam formations (rocks and caves), as the filmmakers have noted.

Final Voyage (2019) has been part of several international film festivals along 2019 including Berlin Independent Film Festival, Berlin Sci-fi Filmfest, Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival, and SciFi Film Festival where it has achieved several nominations and awards. It has also been part of the line-up in Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis in Germany, Sci-Fi-London Film Festival in the UK, Through the Looking Glass International Film Festival in Italy, Lund International Fantastic Film Festival in Sweden, and Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival Bruges in Belgium.

The movie is available online since November 11, 2020. Here you can watch its official trailer.