Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same   Starring: Susan Ziegler and Lisa Haas Peccadillo Pictures RRP: £19.99 PPD264 Certificate: 12 Available 26 November 2012

With catastrophic ozone layer depletion endangering their planet, the Zotians determine that the cause of this calamity is the positive feelings of love. In order to save themselves they send three of their number to Earth, when they can fall in love and have their hearts broken. But when Zoinx meets stationery store clerk, rather than faltering at the altar of love, a real relationship starts to blossom...

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (2011 - 1 hr, 16 min, 02 sec) is a comedy, written and directed by Madeleine Olnek. Filmed in black and white it is an unashamed homage to the cheesy Science Fiction B movies of the nineteen fifties, complete with tin foil space ships and monotone speaking bald aliens.

The film opens with Jane (Lisa Haas) talking to her therapist. The short section is essentially just one joke, but this, and the first five minutes, will give you an idea as to whether the humour will appeal to you. The aliens appear to have been filmed backwards in order to create their speech. It’s an effective method, although it does mean that all their speech requires English subtitles, which may put a minority off.

The relationship difficulties which Zoinx (Susan Ziegler) and Jane experience are universal, the hesitant beginning and the bumpy road towards a stable relationship can be attributed to any new romance, giving the plot a universal appeal. Although there is a lot of humour to be had with their relationship, some of the funniest parts of the film are provided by the dotty old man who keeps coming into the store with no real idea of what he is doing.

There is a funny subplot, of sorts, which involve a couple of men in black (Dennis Davis and Alex Karpovsky) following Jane and Zoinx and although some of their scenes give some of the best laughs they do feel like an addendum to the main plot as the reason for them being there is not well integrated into the overall plot.

Not content with providing one space alien the film also throws in Zylar (Jackie Monahan) and Barr (Cynthia Kaplan) who have been sent to Earth for the same reason, to have their hearts broken. We follow them as they discover video blogging and the funniest scene in the film when they are transfixed with a cheesecake carousel.

Of course, regardless of the endless jokes, the film only works if you engage with the two main characters and Lisa Haas is adorably vulnerable as the store clerk seeking love, with Susan Ziegler providing an appropriate level of quirkiness.

The disc supplied was only a screener, so there were no extras. The picture is reasonably sharp for a budget film, although the sound has a certain amount of echo to it, making the look, sound and structure very similar to Clerks (1994).

If the film has a problem it's its ability to sustain the humour into the last third of the film, having used most of the jokes in the first two thirds.

Overall, it’s well worth a look, especially if you find its fifties B movie retro nonsense appealing.

6

Charles Packer