Film

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same

Name: Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Released: 2012
Cast: Lisa Haas, Susan Ziegler, Jackie Monahan, Cynthia Kaplan, Dennis Davis

Alien contact
Fantasy
Comedy
Light-hearted
Strange

A deadpan sci-fi comedy about a lonely greeting card clerk who falls for an alien woman without realizing it. Shot with cheerful absurdism and genuine warmth, it's a low-budget indie that treats its premise with complete sincerity. For people who want rom-coms with a spark of weirdness and don't need Hollywood polish to feel moved.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like deadpan, low-budget sci-fi silliness where the romance is sincere and the jokes land through awkward, lovingly played small moments.

Skip it if you want a tight, plotted sci-fi, since this wanders between romance, alien hijinks and two agents' subplot, and its gags can feel scattered.

What it asks of you: Seventy-six minutes, so it is brisk and light, asking you to go along with a deadpan premise and keep up with several interlocking threads without patience for slow setup.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Paul2011

Two British geeks on a road trip encounter an alien with a mordant sense of humor. Sharp sci-fi comedy that finds real heart in misfits finding their people, with smart dialogue and genuine laughs.

But The humor is very specific to a certain brand of British wit and nerd culture; if that's not your wavelength, it'll feel thin.

The Vast of Night2019

A gorgeously shot indie sci-fi mystery set in 1950s New Mexico, built on mood and slow-burn strangeness rather than effects. Smart, intimate, and weirdly romantic in its own way.

But Deliberately paced and deliberately strange. Some find the vagueness frustrating; others find it perfect.

Moon2009

Sam Rockwell alone on a lunar station for three years. Sci-fi that's really about loneliness and identity, with genuine emotional weight beneath the premise. Beautiful and devastating.

But One guy, one location, minimal plot. If you need action or a full cast, this will feel slow and claustrophobic.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Pariah2011

Both are tender sci-fi romances about queer women finding themselves, but where Codependent trades in playful absurdism, Pariah grounds everything in documentary-level realism—same emotional truth, opposite registers.

A Black lesbian teenager navigates identity, family, and first love in Brooklyn with devastating honesty and a genuine indie spark. Dee Rees' direction is assured; the performances are raw. Absolutely authentic.

But It's a character study about struggle, not a story about triumph. Heavy on pain and the specificity of one family; if you're looking for uplift, you won't find it here.

Safety Not Guaranteed2012

Indie rom-com where a magazine intern investigates a man advertising for a time-travel companion. Sweet, weird, funny, with real emotion. Stars Aubrey Plaza at her driest and most likable.

But The tone is deliberately uncertain—is this romance or satire? If you need clarity about what you're watching, it'll frustrate you.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

A grumpy old man and a foster kid on the run in the New Zealand bush. Taika Waititi at his warmest; genuinely funny, genuinely moving, with real chemistry between the leads.

But The New Zealand accent and slang can be hard to parse; subtitles help but some still find it difficult.

The Adam Project2022

Ryan Reynolds and Mark Ruffalo as a man and his younger self. Sci-fi action with surprising emotional depth about family and regret. Fast-paced, funny, and touching without being saccharine.

But Streamers sometimes feel like they're built in a factory. This one has real charm but also real Netflix-ness if that bothers you.

Marjorie Prime2017

An elderly woman befriends a holographic recreation of her dead husband. Quiet, strange, deeply meditative on memory and love. Jon Hamm gives one of his most heartbreaking performances.

But It's slow, conceptual, and bleak. No plot in any conventional sense; if you need something to *happen*, this isn't it.

Rubber2010

A sentient tire rolls through the desert killing people. A cult indie that commits entirely to its absurd premise with surprising warmth and genuine artistry. Cult favorite for a reason.

But It's deliberately difficult and weird for difficulty's sake. Some people find it brilliant; others find it unbearable pretension.

Dekalog1989

Ten hour-long episodes, each exploring one commandment through interconnected Warsaw apartment dwellers. Profound, human, sometimes funny in its own austere way. Television as serious art.

But Kieślowski's pacing is glacial and the mood is grim. This demands patient, attentive watching; it rewards it but doesn't forgive distraction.

The Lobster2015

Both operate in that sweet spot where sci-fi absurdity becomes genuinely emotional—but Lobster does it through cruelty and Codependent through tenderness. Same structural DNA, opposite temperatures.

In a dystopia where single people are turned into animals, a man goes on the run. Yorgos Lanthimos at his most deadpan and terrifying and somehow hilarious. Unique on Earth.

But The flat affect and relentless weirdness alienate most viewers. It's not trying to be fun; it's trying to be strange. That's not everyone's evening.

Goodbye to Language2014

Both love sci-fi as a permission structure for tenderness; both find genuine romance inside deliberately artificial frames. But Codependent is a genre film at heart while Goodbye is a meditation that accidentally looks like cinema.

Godard's final feature shot in 3D, fragmented and playful and deeply romantic. A couple, a dog, Einstein, Dante. It moves like a dream and feels like a love letter. A movie experience unlike any other.

But Godard assumes you've read everything and thinks in philosophy. There's barely a plot; it's pure cinema. Willfully difficult and proud of it. Not for anyone just looking to pass the time.