Director: Mike Cahill
Cinematographer: Mike Cahill
Starring: Brit Marling, William Mapother
"Within our lifetimes, we've marveled as biologists have managed to look at ever smaller and smaller things. And astronomers have looked further and further into the dark night sky, back in time and out in space. But maybe the most mysterious of all is neither the small nor the large: it's us, up close. Could we even recognize ourselves, and if we did, would we know ourselves? What would we say to ourselves? What would we learn from ourselves? What would we really like to see if we could stand outside ourselves and look at us?" Richard Berendzen
The break before the start of college Rhoda Williams crashes into another car while drink driving. She survives but a pregnant woman, her unborn daughter and her son die in the accident and Rhoda is sentenced to prison. After release she embarks on a journey of redemption whilst a global event is unfolding. Scientists discover another planet identical to earth both in geography and inhabitation. On Earth 2 there is a you. Someone who has lived a life identical to yours and who makes the same decisions as you do. Underlying the whole movie is the question Rhoda so potently asks. "If you met yourself, what would you tell yourself?"
Beautifully shot, Another Earth looks like an ordinary suburban drama except that in the sky there is a planet that looks just like earth. This ominous motif is consistent throughout and reminds us all of the bigger events that underscore the domestic. In fact the image of Earth 2 is the only special effect that you will encounter in this low-budget gem but the picture is so endearing that it is enough to classify this movie as almost sci-fi. The colour spectrum consists largely of different tones of blue and yellow signifying cool and warm. Of course the lighter blues that are seen in the ocean scenes are the most refreshing and help adjust moods. At times the colour work is sub-par to the point where scenes, especially indoor scenes in John's house appear to be shot with a hand-held camcorder but it only adds a layer of realism to the film. None of the cast are particularly famous unless you count Mapother being Tom Cruise's cousin as famous which is wonderful as it allows audiences to concentrate more on the character than the actor.
The score by Fall On Your Sword characterises the key protagonists in the film. For example Rhoda is symbolised by the cello and John the piano. The most beautiful scene in terms of the music is a scene where John plays the musical saw producing an eerie and haunting sound complimenting the fantastic cinematography.
Another Earth was possibly one of my favourite films of the year. It was released earlier in the year in the US and played at Melbourne and Brisbane IFFs. It has yet to be announced whether it will be granted a limited or wide release in Australia but I am keeping my fingers crossed as I would love for other people to enjoy this movie as much as I did.
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