My Notes on Mars Review: Loving the Alien

Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend excel in Lili Horvát’s My Notes on Mars, a clever analysis of human relationships disguised as a sci-fi tale of extraterrestrial life.

“I should have understood that, but I did not,” Greenbaum continues. “It’s a common mistake in mathematics too: we do not understand things for which our roots do not hope.” The Professor’s beautiful metaphor soon turns into a prophecy when, minutes later, Margot shows up at her own funeral — except she’s not quite herself in a way that defies everyone’s understanding, starting from her horse breeder husband Sam (Rupert Friend, of Homeland). But then again, Sam didn’t understand his wife even before this change.

In My Notes on Mars, writer-director Lili Horvát (Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time) looks up at the sky to tell a story that’s very much grounded on Earth, and it all begins with this brilliant paradox. Long before her disappearance, Margot had already started to vanish, stuck in a relationship with a man who had never really been able to access her intellectual world and understand who she really was. And so, the scientist had been taking refuge in her research, which which had brought her immense recognition but just as much frustration as she kept failing to find the final answer, until she eventually became too lost in her obsession with the possibility of alien existence to notice actual life on Earth.

But Horvát takes it one step further, having Margot quite literally become something that defies understanding. Not only is this new Margot hell-bent on finding and destroying her titular ‘Notes on Mars’, but she doesn’t seem to remember much about her past. More than that, there’s an almost childlike curiosity in her that wasn’t there before: she experiences things physically in ways that are somehow both endearing and disquieting, from standing in the pouring rain without an umbrella to being morbidly fascinated by the void.

And then there’s the matter of human desire, because this Margot isn’t afraid to ask for what she needs. “Take me to him,” she one day tells her husband, referring to a young man named Alex (Atanáz Babinchak) she saw at her memorial service, whom the original Margot once had a conversation with. “You don’t tell your husband when you’re attracted to another man,” Sam tells her, infuriated, explaining the idea of a ‘white lie‘. But the biggest lie, underneath it all, is the one he’s telling himself: how could this current Margot possibly be the same woman he married? But then again, how could she not be, when nothing human could explain this unexpected return.

A lot more happens in the film that won’t be spoiled in this review, but the fascinating journey Horvát will take you on makes this a psychologically compelling movie that you’ll find yourself thinking about for long after the credits roll. My Notes on Mars may direct our attention to aliens, but this is a very human story — one that has a lot to say about modern relationships and does so in an irresistibly original way, with enough humor, empathy and realism to make these characters believable and enough mystery to have you asking the right questions.

Mackenzie Davis is phenomenal in what is effectively a dual performance. Her commitment to the role is what makes us so invested in both versions of Margot, each of whom feels complex and contradictory in her own way. The raw energy she pours into Margot is perfectly matched by Rupert Friend‘s restrained portrayal of Sam, whose rare displays of vulnerability will reach you to your very core. And together, both stars excel, effectively portraying recognizable dynamics in a way that manages to be tragic, funny, and heartwarming, all at the same time.

My Notes on Mars is not for everyone, and if you’re familiar with Lili Horvát’s films, you already know why. The filmmaker has a way of crafting stories that many will find fascinating but that are bound to alienate others, and if you don’t enjoy highly metaphorical movies in which you won’t understand everything, this might not be for you. But if you decide to immerse yourself in this journey, you’ll be rewarded with a movie that’s ultimately about grief, guilt, and trauma, but also about love, recognition, and the very emotions that make us human. It might not give you all the answers, but it certainly raises the right questions.

My Notes On Mars had its World Premiere at the 2026 Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2026.