Do you ever wonder how soldiers prepare for combat? How do they get a feel for what a place and people will be like? How do they prepare for scenarios they might see in the field? The new film Atropia takes a look at that preparation process. At least, that’s part of its aim.

The film transports viewers back to 2006 and focuses on a U.S. base in the California desert that is used to simulate real-world combat scenarios. It’s set up as a fake country, but the look and feel match locations where our troops will go. There, a team of actors and soldiers play out these scenarios for training purposes.

In the film, the country is dubbed Atropia. It’s a place where many refugees and budding actors come to ply their trade. One of those is Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), who is a great actress waiting for her breakout role. She shines in the scenarios and hopes to one day get noticed. But before she gets noticed for her acting, she draws the attention of a fellow role player.

Abu Dice (Callum Turner) plays the leader of one of the hostiles. Unlike Fayruz, he’s not an actor. He’s a soldier who spent time in Iraq and is now back, biding his time in training scenarios. He takes it seriously as he’s trying to earn his way back to the action at the front.

But despite their differences, Fayruz and Abu Dice feel a connection. When that connection leads to sparks, it threatens to derail both of them and their lives outside this scenario.

This is an interesting swing from writer/director Hailey Gates. It made its debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and now is going to theaters this weekend. Part of it feels like a commentary on war and military preparation. Part of it seems to want to be a love story between two unlikely people.

None of it amounts to much. There are some fun moments in the film. There are funny sequences and cameos from familiar faces. There is some fun in the premise—or rather both premises—too. But ultimately, it feels like the film comes to an unsatisfying resolution.

I like Shawkat and Turner. There are a few twists in the film that are interesting, but they aren’t well explored. The ending, then, feels a bit abrupt. We’re also left with a closing crawl about facilities of this type in the modern era, which left me questioning what Gates wanted me to take away from what is done in the film.

That makes this a tough watch. It’s unclear what audience it’s trying to appeal to, and it’s hard to figure who would be best served by this narrative. It’s fine in its execution, but hardly memorable or compelling. It feels like something of a miss as both a commentary and a romance.

Atropia opens in theaters on Friday, January 23.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.