Another Earth

That looks familiar...

A thought-provoking and introspective movie which explores self-loathing, healing and forgiveness. This sci-fi drama stirred a fair bit of interest at Sundance for its powerful storytelling and apparent tiny budget.

There are two events in the film and it takes a bit to grasp the relationship between the two. Firstly, astronomers discover an identical planet to earth in orbit around the sun, on which copies of ourselves may inhabit. Secondly, Rhoda Williams is a young woman whose world is shattered by a drink driving accident which claims the life of a mother and son while leaving the father in a coma. Rhoda later searches for forgiveness by befriending the recovering father who remains unaware of her past.

Check it out, two moons...

Another Earth is not a light-hearted movie, and requires good attention throughout to follow the subtle interactions. Fortunately, despite the budget and early careers of Brit Marling (co-writer and lead actress) and Mike Cahill (co-writer and director), the film is engaging and a remarkable success. It also stars William Mapother of LOST fame as John Burroughs, who is magnificently cast to portray the brooding and damaged father.

So how does all that relate to 'Earth 2'? Well, the basic concept there relates to the Multiverse idea, and the thought of two universes colliding to result in two copies of the same planet co-existing is the same reality. The second earth metaphorically represents Rhoda's internal state as she struggles with forgiveness. As the plot leads Rhoda to confront herself internally, it's also represents the concept of confronting yourself externally.

There are some beautiful, high-contrast images which have a definite artistic taste and ensure Another Earth is visually appealing to compliment the storytelling. I highly recommend seeing this film.

When I wish upon a tiny blue dot...

The Good: Acting, story, direction.
The Meh: While the scientific concepts and problems were 'worked out' during filming (such as tidal effects, etc), not many made it to the final cut leaving some bothering questions.
The Ugly: None.
Hey There Good Looking: Brit Marling.
Overall: 7.5/1