Every once in a while, a decent piece of science fiction emerges that relies more on cerebral concepts than special effects. Another Earth is one of those films. This film creates the rules (they didn't seem very sound, scientifically) which are used to frame an interesting story. The film remained within the rules it established, which was a refreshing break from science fiction where the concepts become muddled. This science fiction takes place on Earth, with only references to a sister planet, so the concept was not at all alien.
Another Earth seemed to be a story about second chances and redemption. The story centers on a young lady, Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), who has a bright future. She has been accepted to a noted college. However, those plans are drastically altered when she kills a woman and child drunk driving after a party. She survived the crash, along with the other driver, John Burroughs (William Mapother). Burroughs remains in a coma for the four years that Williams remains in jail. During this time, a sister planet (Earth 2) has grown closer and closer to our own planet. There are even plans to try and send an ambassador to the planet.
Williams tries to pull her life together after getting out of jail. However, she does not feel inclined to use her intellect to get a good job. Instead, she settles for a job as janitor at a local school. The work keeps her from having to interact with people. However, Williams learns that Burroughs has come out of his coma and seeks an opportunity to apologize in person. She chickens out at the last minute, which leads to an odd relationship with Burroughs, who has no idea that she was the driver of the car that killed his family.
As Williams and Burroughs struggle with their past, Earth 2 lurks on the horizon. Williams has submitted an essay to try and win a seat on a shuttle that plans to launch to Earth 2. The concept sets up the question "if you met yourself, what would you say?" Could you learn from yourself? Is the other you better off than you are? It offers the opportunity to turn back time. Maybe the car accident didn't happen on Earth 2. Maybe Burroughs family is still alive there. With these thoughts in mind, the film sets up a shocking ending where nothing is said. Mike Cahill has left it to the audience to figure out the details.
Mike Cahill wrote Another Earth along with the female lead, Brit Marling. While the story may not be scientifically sound, it manages to remain within its own set of rules, which worked for me. I am not an astrophysicist, so I really don't need to ruin a movie by questioning the supposed "cracked mirror" affect. Instead, I enjoyed the eerie relationships created by two strong characters, whose interactions are stunted but genuine. The movie has a slow pace, which will bother some viewers, but I found the pacing to be adequate for this type of film. It was more an examination of loss and redemption than science fiction, which was more a vehicle for the story. The majority of the action could have happened without the science fiction twist. I was satisfied with the writing, although I did not always find the dialogue to be as sharp as it could have been.
The success of Another Earth relied largely on the chemistry and interaction of Marling and Mapother. The pair were excellent together. There were times when the stilted communication indicated an inability to relate to one another. It was intentionally tense, adding depth to the story. The awkward communication felt natural. Marling and Mapother did an excellent job of selling me on the story.
Another Earth was rated PG-13 by the MPAA. The rating indicates nudity, which I don't recall from the film. There was a sex scene that I recall in which both parties were clothed. There was a moonlight scene where Williams takes over her coat, exposing her bare skin. However, the dim lighting and camera angle prevent any actual nudity (okay...maybe her buttocks may have been visible). The language seemed pretty tame in this film. There were two deaths, with the body of a child shown (not graphically). Overall, the subject matter was serious and contextual. The minor rating issues would not give me pause to allow a younger viewer to see this film. However, they would not likely get it, so why bother. Thirteen is probably an age where comprehension of the ending might be probable. The film runs one hour and 32 minutes.
I enjoyed Another Earth as a fresh science fiction offering. There have not been many new concepts explored in this genre recently. This film does not rely on space aliens to succeed. Instead, it is an interesting concept built into a real-world scenario. It had a strong "indie" feel that I liked. The acting was superb and the ending poignant. With sharper dialogue and better pacing, this could have been more successful. While IMDb rates this film a slightly watchable 7, I am at 7.5/10. It is worth streaming if you can find it.
