My colleague, Jeremy Fogelman, did a piece on Another Earth a few months ago connoting it may be “a smug film” … too much so for its own good.
In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth.
Science fiction is a pretty spiffy genre. It regularly reinvents itself. The category clears the way for thinking about it into new directions and, sometimes, merely hints at the fact you’re watching something clearly within its purview. And that’s exactly what Another Earth did to its audience: It tossed out a concept of science fictionality for us to consider, letting our imaginations free to roam. The singular concept — the discovery of a duplicate Gaea (marvelously imagined with ever-closer scenes of the planet in the sky) — was the only thing science fictiony about the film. It was damned smart and played to our intelligence, giving us the benefit of deciding for ourselves how much we wanted to ruminate over that concept.
That’s some of the best kinds of science fiction as far as I’m concerned.
Of course it’s fun to plop down in a seat in a theater with a tub of popcorn and a vat of Coke and get lost in the usual trappings of science fiction’s mechanics, its grand and gross futuristic machinery, its other-worldly monsters, its far-away and foreign imagery. But every once in a while I find it completely refreshing to come across a film such as this which stretches my imagination instead of simply assuming I’m going to be wowwed by what I see on the screen. The Truman Show did that for me (bet you didn’t think of that film as a sci-fi vehicle, did you?) as did 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick / Clarke’s seminal tale which touched off my love affair with science fiction.
A lot of what Jeremy wrote in his piece I agree with: the fundamentals of the film (acting, story, direction) were all quite good. Where we differ in opinion is in the film’s story and plot which I thought were terrific. The story forced you to consider the possibility Rhoda (Brit Marling) could apologize and repair the damage she’d done to John (William Mapother) and I will admit this did stretch the limits of credibility. But I side-stepped this in lieu of the effort she put in in wanting to heal the situation and the solution she came up with in so doing. And super ending, too. With the appearance of Rhoda’s other self, it left you wondering what would happen, what would be said, what had become of John. It was a prime ending to the drama, leaving you wanting more.
I wasn’t disappointed in Another Earth in the least. It was a fine, fine film, one I’ve recommended to several people. And I’m recommending it to you as well. It’s released on DVD and Blu-ray today.
My only real disappointment is with the review copy I was provided. It contained the film itself and that was it, none of the extras I was hoping for — deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, Fox Movie Channel interviews with director and co-writer Mike Cahill, Marling and Mapother and more.
Disclosure: This review is based on a review screener, provided complimentary to CliqueClack by Fox Searchlight.
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Nov 29, 2011 @ 14:52 EST5EDT
