Now You Can Watch One of the Oddest, Best, and Most Unsung Sci-Fi Movies of the 2020s for Free

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, the 2020s may not have gotten off to a great start for Hollywood, but that hasn’t stopped the decade from producing some truly stellar works of science fiction filmmaking. From the mind-bending masterpiece that is Everything Everywhere All At Once to the epic scale of Dennis Villenueve‘s Dune movies, the last few years have delivered a plethora of exciting updates to the genre, including films that join a long legacy of underrated sci-fi classics that are sure to only become more popular in the future. Thankfully, for those looking to explore this unsung side of the genre’s recent releases, you can now watch one of the decade’s best sci-fi movies for free on Tubi.

Apples, the 2020 sci-fi dramedy directed by Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou, is one of the most underappreciated and unconventional sci-fi films of the 2020s so far. A poignant drama that focuses its fictional premise through a hyperrealist lens to tell a deep story of personal loss, the film almost doesn’t feel like sci-fi at all, but its speculative plot nonetheless achieves a huge emotional payoff when it comes to interrogating the human condition. Likewise, the film’s surreal stakes and bittersweet atmosphere made Apples a hit among critics and audiences after debuting at a series of prominent international film festivals, but conversations about Nikou’s first film have largely fizzled out since Apples‘ wider release in the U.S., making now the perfect time to reconnect with a movie you won’t want to forget.

What Is ‘Apples’ About?

Apples feels distinct itself among sci-fi films from the last few years primarily because the movie manages to connect to this decade’s overall malaise. Capturing the listlessness and aimlessness of most of us who lived through quarantine, Nikou’s debut takes place in the city of Athens at a time when its citizens begin to spontaneously lose all memories of themselves, forcing the government and local hospitals to manage an influx of amnesiac patients wandering the streets. In some cases, all it takes to discharge these patients is waiting for the person’s loved ones to come find them, but for those unlucky enough to be remembered by no one except their former selves, the hospital adopts a more experimental approach. Such is the case with Apples‘ main character, Aris (Aris Servatelis), who is soon enrolled in a program designed to provide him with a new life after his local hospital is unable to learn anything about his old one.

Aris’ subsequent attempts to rebuild his sense of self constitutes most of Apples‘ main plot. After setting their patient up in a new apartment, Aris’ main doctor (Costas Xikomenos) and new life program director (Anna Kalaitzidou) begin instructing Aris to gain experiences meant to jog his memory of what it means to be human and send them photographs as evidence, forcing Aris into a series of public environments that humorously clash with his unassuming persona. From awkwardly interacting with a sex worker to timidly socializing at a Halloween party, these assignments are often charmingly deadpan, but Apples‘ bleak shots of Athens and minimalist script never let you forget the underlying dread at the center of this dark sci-fi story.

‘Apples’ Explores the Hopelessness and Heartbreak of Human Memory

At its core, Apples is a film about living through loss. After Aris forgets himself on a routine train ride through the city, the character lacks a clear solution to retrieving his memories, with his doctor even reporting that the hospital hasn’t been able to cure any of its previous patients’ amnesia. This uncertainty almost makes the most relatable aspect of Nikou’s film terrifying, with symptoms of long-term COVID-19 serving as a reminder that similar forms of brain fog can actually happen, though the bulk of Apples doesn’t concern itself with the particulars of Aris’ condition. Instead, the film’s plot uses the backdrop of memory loss to pose thought-provoking questions about human identity. Does, for instance, a personal approach to self-discovery mean more than a clinical one? Does memory equal a person’s entire identity? Or are some memories better lost than buried?

Apples doesn’t offer us any easy answers to these questions, but Nikou does leave plenty of subtle evidence for viewers to draw their own conclusions. Despite his indifferent attitude towards earlier assignments, Aris never looks more alive than when he meets fellow amnesiac Anna (Sofia Georgovassili), and the film’s use of its eponymous symbol throughout Aris’ journey suggests a person’s intuition can tell them more about themselves than any official process. That said, Apples is still a heavy film which occasionally suffers from grueling pacing, though the heartbreaking revelations of the movie’s ending more than compensate for the film’s gradual start, cementing Apples as essential sci-fi viewing for anyone feeling stuck in a decade suffering from its own afflicted society.

Apples is available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.

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