While “ Orion ” is an ambitious indie space saga, its examination of human nature is decidedly earthbound.

The film stars Andrew McCarthy as Jim, a NASA bigwig tasked with helping Apollo (Drew Van Acker), an astronaut with memory loss, figure out what happened to cause his ship to crash and leave the other crew dead. Their back-and-forth makes up the core of the film, as twists, turns and discoveries gradually unfold.

Director Jaco Bouwer found plenty of grounded elements in Anne Vithayathil’s script for “Orion.” Audiences will set sail on the film’s maiden voyage when it has its world premiere at FilmQuest in Provo, Utah, on Oct. 25.

“I don’t think we have an absolute truth anymore in this world,” he says. “This really touches on that without being super on the nose. Science fictio

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