It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to sayNetflixhas been one of television’s most reliablesci-fihubs over the last decade. Between sleeper hits likeSense8andThe OAand the more mainstream success ofAltered CarbonandBlack Mirror, the streamer has been churning out successful speculative futures and unethical technological procedures for years now. Thelatest trailer for the last season ofStranger Thingsonly serves as a reminder of just how popular Netflix’s most high-profile sci-fi projects have become, but for all the shows that get their turn in the spotlight,there are just as many hidden gemstucked away in the platform’s vast library. These projects are more obscure but no less compelling, and one in particular combines thought-provoking world-building with sci-fi so intricate it’s sure to delight longtime fans of the genre.
Directed by French filmmakerAudrey Fouché,Osmosisis a 2019 sci-fi drama with eight episodes anda perfect critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Praised for its relatable premise and self-aware storyline,the series failed to garner widespread popularity upon its releaseand has subsequently been all but discarded, one of the latest in a long line ofsci-fi releases to be unceremoniously forgotten. While Fouché’s series falls short in the audience department, it is through no fault of its own. Filled with unethical experimentation and a future overflowing with unique technology,Osmosisessentially feels like an eight-hourBlack Mirrorepisode, perfect for viewers obsessed with exploring the loose boundary between social progress and the pitfalls of human innovation.
What Is ‘Osmosis’ About?
The series revolves aroundthe infamous Vanhove siblings, Paul (Hugo Becker) and Esther (Agathe Bonitzer), self-declared pioneers of neuroscience who have supposedly developedan app that can pair an individual with their actual soulmate. Promising to connect people more deeply than ever before through technology, this Osmosis is both a life-changing bond and the name of the siblings’ business, which is sent into a tailspin when its investors pull out at the last minute. Spiraling to find a new source of funding and maintain public interest in their product, the series' plot spans the month before the unprecedented app’s hurried launch, during which time Osmosis must first carry out a beta test of its services on a group of young peopledesperate for a new source of love.
There are plenty of wrinkles in this plan, such as Esther caring less about Osmosis and more about its potential to save her and Paul’s comatose mother, butOsmosisbalances a talented cast with enough startling revelations to keep the series moving at a thrilling pace. Targeted by the humanists, an activist group desperate to keep love organic, as well as Osmosis' main competitor in the field of virtual love, Perfect Match, Fouché ultimately uses the debate over Osmosis' existence to expand onthe role of technology in her speculative future, drawing in viewers with a realistic portrait of a familiar society growing increasingly dependent on artificial connection. When Paul’s wife and Osmosis partner, Joséphine (Philypa Phoenix), suddenly disappears, however, Osmosis' founder is ultimately forced to reckon withthe true cost of his unconventional intimacy.
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‘Osmosis’ Explores the Technological Limits of Human Love and Heartbreak
It is through relationships like Paul and Joséphine’s thatOsmosisis at its best. Aside from the latter’s sudden disappearance and subsequent struggle to set boundaries with her husband, the experiences of Osmosis' beta testerstest the limits of whateven the most complex artificial connectionscan accomplish. The series focuses on three of the 12 testers in particular. First, there is Niels Larson (Manoel Dupont), a 17-year-old sex addict desperate for the kind of personal connection that can convince him to change. Next is Lucas Apert (Stéphane Pitti), a man second-guessing his idyllic romance with his long-term boyfriend, and finally,Osmosisdedicates the most time to Ana Stern (Luna Silva), a beta tester with an ulterior agenda and a woman whose own insecurities have convinced her she will never find a person to accept her.
Although Osmosis' implants quickly match each tester with a soulmate who makes them happy, cracks in the system don’t take long to emerge. Between Lucas being matchedwith a toxic exwho cheated on him multiple times and Niels rushing into his romance so fast that he unravels,Osmosisis full of unintended consequencesfor what superficially appears to be a noble update to the dating game. Fouché’s series remains fascinatingly broad in its messaging, however. With Esther illegally tampering with these three testers' minds and the testers themselves placing more faithin an artificial intelligencethan their own feelings,Osmosisfunctions as both a critique of unregulated technology and a warning to anyone who would sacrifice their emotional autonomy for an algorithm. Yet, at the same time, cases like Ana’s ultimately prove the technology can also grant hope to those who need it most, resulting in a nuanced investigation of the ecstatic highs and bitter lows of entering Osmosis.
The Technology of ‘Osmosis’ Is Tailor-Made for a Contemporary Sci-Fi Audience
The series' exploration of synthetic dating makesOsmosisuniquely relatable and grounds what would otherwise be an incredibly dense, abstract series. With falsified memories and an artificial plane of existence created with each Osmosis bond, Fouché’s series hadthe potential to be endlessly confusing, butOsmosis' focus on personal relationships allows it to embody that unique brand of sci-fi that is as insightful as it is approachable. In the age of Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and countless other popular dating apps, who wouldn’t want to swipe right on an easier method? Combined withOsmosis' focus on technological body modification and a runaway AI system, it’s no wonderthe show’s best comparisons are series likeBlack Mirror, asthis hidden gem thoughtfully interrogates the most pressing issues of our own timeand rapidly accelerating society.
Osmosisalso uses its sci-fi premise to comment on how advanced technology can change the very definition of love, and even hinder it in ways modern audiences can instantly recognize. Both Niels' storyline andOsmosis' virtual sex clubs point to a commodification of instant gratification made possible by futuristic headsets, and the unique relationship betweenEsther and her artificial intelligence, Martin (Vincent Renaudet), further blurs the definition of true attraction.Osmosisdoesn’t function as a simple warning about the damaging effects of unrestricted pleasure, but it still depictsthe dangerous ways new devices can further enable humanity’s dark side. Even thoughOsmosiswasunfortunately canceled after only one season, audiences can expect a series full of uniquely relatable depth and thoughtful commentary.
