Enemy Mine. Enemies, Allies, Brothers

“Enemies because they were taught to be. Allies because they had to be. Brothers because they dared to be.”

This 1985 sci-fi adventure is a tale of unexpected friendship and newly found respect. Two enemy species are thrown together in a hostile alien world where they must band together to survive. In the end, the human finds himself caring for his enemy in a completely unexpected way.

Based on Barry Longyear’s novella, part of his Enemy trilogy, director Wolfgang Petersen pushed a science-fiction film into the theatres that offered a vision of brotherhood and working together rather than the seek-and-destroy politics of the time. It’s a film about parenthood, surrogacy, adoption, and family and how those values overcome the xenophobia that fills the minds of enemies and can help build a better future.

The look of the planet, the special effects, and the performances are so absorbing that one only gradually becomes aware of what a beacon the story is.