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The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

Careless Love

Sidestepping a more extreme take on prostitution, this is a quietly impressive portrait of a young woman caught in a tragic situation.

Empire Of Silver

Its backdrop is a rich and fascinating one, but the film is let down by a screenplay and direction that fails to register on a personal level.

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Another Earth (Film)

by Ernesto Zelaya Miñano | November 22, 2011 10:04 | Edited November 22, 2011 16:48

Somewhat disappointingly, this never exploits its premise’s exciting sci-fi possibilities but as a simple human story – what it aims to be – it’s touching.

A new planet is discovered in the solar system. Dubbed Earth 2, it is an exact duplicate of our Earth, with the same continents and atmosphere. Not only that, but everyone has a double of themselves on this new planet, living out the same lives. This is the fascinating starting point to Mike Cahill's Another Earth, an indie darling which made waves at Sundance, but is far, far different from a typical science fiction movie. In fact, with a few rewrites, it didn't have to be a genre picture at all.

 

The story centers around Rhoda (Brit Marling), a troubled young woman released from prison after serving four years for causing an accident which cost the lives of the wife and son of John (William Mapother), who awakes from a coma and lives in seclusion. Rhoda enters his life under false pretenses and a relationship soon develops. Meanwhile, seeking a change from her outcast life, she enters a contest to be one of the first people to travel to the new planet.

 

Another Earth is really a quiet and understated romantic drama. Rhoda and John are both hurt and seeking redemption and closure. Even if their relationship is inevitably doomed to fail, they are relatable and real. This is largely due to the work of the actors, particularly Marling, whose expressions alone convey more emotions than dialogue ever could. Cahill keeps the focus intimately on these two characters, with everything else - including Rhoda's friendship with a blind co-worker or her family life - merely serving as background details which could have just as easily been cut out.

 

This also applies to Earth 2 itself; aside from constant shots of it overlooking Earth, the new planet remains largely in the background. Cahill is not interested in exploring the effects of such a discovery on a global scale, aside a few philosophical observations about man's place in the universe which don't dig too deep. The most effective scene is a scientist making contact with what turns out to be herself on the second planet, a moment both chilling and wondrous in its approach. It only comes into play during its open-ended final shot, which leaves many possibilities open.

 

Earth 2 is largely a symbol in this context; it is a means of change for two broken individuals, an opportunity to turn the page and start their lives anew. For Rhoda, it is the hope that she can make things right, even knowing that she can't take back what she did. Taken strictly on these terms, the film is modestly effective in what it sets out to do.

 

It could, however, prove a disappointment to hardcore science fiction fans unprepared for what is really a simple human drama. There is a great, epic film to be made from the concept of finding a planet that is a mirror of our own, but Another Earth is not it. But it can't really be faulted for this, since it was never Cahill's intention in the first place.