Landscape with Invisible Hand

Rarely has a film about an alien invasion seemed as understated and matter-of-fact as Landscape with Invisible Hand, a genre hybrid as cryptic as its title.

Ambition surpasses execution in this peculiar science-fiction comedy, which struggles to balance its core quirky coming-of-age romance with a broader dystopian cautionary tale.

It’s set in a near-future when coexistence with a domineering alien species known as the Vuvv is accepted and even welcomed. We’re introduced to suburban life through the eyes of Adam (Asante Blackk), a precocious teenage artist skeptical of the motives of the omniscient overlords.

Still resentful of his father’s disappearance years ago, Adam lives with his supportive lawyer mother (Tiffany Haddish), who is among those fortunate to have middle-class stability. “None of us were prepared,” she explains. “Now we just have to adapt.”

Details are gradually revealed about the faceless puppet masters with a complex language and a persistent ability to control human behavior and exacerbate socioeconomic disparities.

Meanwhile, Adam finds companionship with a slightly nerdy classmate, Chloe (Kylie Rogers), and before long, invites her homeless family to move into the basement. As friction simmers between the parents, the youngsters deepen their relationship, even live streaming their daily life to the Vuvv to earn some extra cash.

But when their fragile adolescent courtship starts to fizzle, the Vuvv overlords feel cheated, and launch a scheme to integrate themselves even further into the family dynamic in progressively more absurd ways.

Along the way, the story’s eccentricities remain grounded in relatable teenage angst and insecurities, even if it also remains curiously muddled and emotionally distant.

The deliberately paced screenplay by director Cory Finley (Bad Education), adapted from a novel by M.T. Anderson, is layered with social commentary about technology and capitalism run amok. However, it fails to generate many big laughs or provocative satirical jabs alongside its visual flourishes.

Instead, it relies on endearing central performances that provide calm amid the escalating chaos. Plus, Haddish finds sympathy and compassion as a tough-minded maternal figure.

Landscape with Invisible Hand offers some fleeting charms while its disparate concepts lack cohesion. Its themes about the power of love resonate, yet moviegoers wind up feeling like the disconnected outsiders.

Rated R, 94 minutes.