What happens when a lonely guy in a sterile future finds the last living squirrel on Earth? Finland’s betting that story is Oscar-worthy.

“The Squirrel,” the country’s official submission for Best International Film, drops its trailer today ahead of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin on September 20th. Writer-director Markus Lehmusruusu calls it “2001: A Space Odyssey crossed with Dumb And Dumber,” which is either brilliant or deeply confusing.

The setup: In a world stripped of nature and animals, Pasi designs synthetic pets for a living. When he stumbles on the last real squirrel, he breaks every rule to keep it alive. The squirrel gets depressed. Pasi falls in love. His controlled life falls apart.

Lehmusruusu’s last film, “Ricky Rapper and the Strongman,” was Finland’s biggest box office hit in 2019. This one is a four-country co-production (Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden) starring Miro Lopperi and Mimosa Willamo. Producers Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff also made “Fallen Leaves” and “The Innocents.”

It’s absurdist sci-fi about loneliness and what it takes to feel human again. For indie filmmakers chasing international recognition, Finland just raised the bar.