Eolomea

The international space community goes into a tizzy when several spaceships go missing in this response to 2001: A Space Odyssey from East Germany’s DEFA Studios. Outspoken scientist Maria Scholl (Dutch actress Cox Habbema) starts to investigate the disappearances, but meanwhile her old flame Dan (Ivan Andonov, Bulgarian) is caught in space, with nothing to do but sass his old-timer co-pilot. Instead of plumbing the glamorous mysteries of outer space, Hermann Zschoche’s meat-and-potatoes film taps into the wistfulness and restlessness of average Joes and idealistic administrators. Through its array of flashbacks, the movie posits that life in our intergalactic future will be haunted by memories of Earth.

“With a space-lounge soundtrack, Ms. Habbema’s killer mod attire (like a turtlenecked pantsuit and a skimpy yellow bikini), and Mr. Andonov’s insouciant charisma, the film is very much of its post-’60s moment.” —The New York Times

“Subtly elliptical, and full of moments of pop psychedelia, Eolomea is ultimately a moving testimony to the pursuit of the ideal.” —Travis Miles, Stop Smiling