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

The Better Angels (2014)

Written and Directed by A. J. Edwards
Starring Braydon Denney, Jason Clarke, Diane Kruger and Brit Marling

The story of Abraham Lincoln's childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana and the hardships that shaped him. His rocky relationship with his father, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women who guided him to immortality.

The beautiful tragedy that was Abraham Lincoln's childhood always struck me with inspiration. When I first read about his pre-political life, I was dumbfounded that a man who had achieved so much greatness came from virtually nothing and gave himself every single bit of knowledge he would need to become the man that this country owes so much to.

Although, many parts of this movie were undoubtedly fictionalized for the sake of the story, I know for a fact that the main plot points of this film are accurate. And the monologue of the narrator is so incredibly poetic and adds so much to the incredible cinematography that this becomes more of a work of art than entertainment.

"There ain't nothin' worth talkin' about. 

Nobody much worth talkin' to… since he's gone."

Produced by Terrence Malick, I was skeptical of this film, regardless of the fact that it was about my favorite historical figure during the time in his life no one talks about. I am usually not a fan of his style of film making and although he did not direct this, it was shot much like a Malick film.

Perhaps it is my love for Lincoln or perhaps this was just done better than any Malick film, but this was a gorgeous movie. I can't quite pick out what is different from this compared to all of his other movies. Perhaps his protégé just has a better grip than he does at his own style. Maybe it's the lack of pretentiousness that is synonymous with Terrence Malick. Despite what the answer to that is, I love this film. 

"I asked him where'd he get so many blatant lies. 

He told me 'when a story learns you a good lesson, it ain't no lie. 

God tells truths in parables.'"

My Rating: 8/10