«Missing Hearts» by Kit Wilson

In the quiet vastness of an alien world, a fragile connection sparks where none should exist.

With Missing Hearts, writer-director Kit Wilson crafts an intimate science fiction tale rooted in emotion rather than spectacle. Stranded on a desolate planet, a female astronaut—portrayed with understated nuance by Chantel Frizzell—encounters a humanoid robot long abandoned. Their cautious interaction evolves into a bond built on empathy, fragility, and a shared desire for meaning.

Wilson explores themes of loneliness, survival, and selfless care with a delicate hand, letting silence, landscape, and subtle performances guide the narrative. What begins as an eerie standoff evolves into something far more intimate: a relationship grounded in mutual care, tough choices, and the fragile hope for a future beyond survival. Wilson’s sleek, character-driven storytelling resists clichés, favoring close emotional beats over grand gestures—and it works.

With its stark visuals, haunting sound design, and a surprising emotional crescendo, Missing Hearts builds toward an ending as bittersweet as it is uplifting. And in one final image—a worn-out poster of The Wizard of Oz fluttering in alien dust—the film leaves us with a quietly brilliant echo: maybe home isn’t a place, but something (or someone) you find when you least expect it.