Sunday, April 12, 2015

Another Earth (2011)

Directed by Mike Cahill
Written by Mike Cahill and Brit Marling
Starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana and Matthew-Lee Erlbach

On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. When it is discovered that the newly discovered planet is an exact copy of their world, the student strives to win a trip to see if her duplicates life is as ruined as hers.


In his narrative directorial debut, Mike Cahill combines the style of a low budget independent film with the ambition of a thought provoking science fiction film. While the low budget is very apparent in the way it was filmed, it adds a certain charm to the story rather than distract from it. The grain and shake and natural lighting gives it a realism that many larger budget films are missing.

The story is a simple one, but none the less enticing. It presents questions that are more or less inevitable for all people of Earth to ask themselves at some point in their lives. Is the constant crippling pain of grief something you can't escape? What would my life be like if I had made different choices? The characters in this movie have the chance to explore and find answers.


This movie is undeniably a thought out, in depth look at what it is to be a human who has made life changing mistakes. And the very concept is one  that is unique, at least in the way it is executed as not completely a science fiction film. But I couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

The relationship between the student and the composer didn't feel as logical as I would have hoped. And with the short running time, it felt as though they pushed it along too quickly. Perhaps had it been slightly longer and developed the characters more, it would have been great instead of decent.

Regardless, this should definitely be nominated for the most unapologetically pretentious line of dialogue in a movie.

"I don't want to eat the apple of cynicism."

Ugh.

My Rating: 6.5/10



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