Ashgrove (2022)

In the near future the planet's water has become poisonous and humanity is slowly dying. Jennifer Ashgrove is the scientist most likely to solve it, but she has driven herself to collapse, and her doctors order a break. She goes with her husband Jason to their country house, where the hope is that rest will unlock her stalled thinking. Instead, cracks in the marriage surface, memories do not quite fit together, and the weekend becomes a puzzle of its own. Ashgrove is a small Canadian science-fiction drama made during the pandemic, with the leads helping to shape the script and much of the dialogue developed through improvisation. Amanda Brugel, known for The Handmaid's Tale, carries the film, and its appeal lies in its intimate, character-first approach to an end-of-the-world premise.