Movie – Another Earth

Movie – Another Earth
Score : 7/10
Year : 2011
Director: Mike Cahill
Country : USA
Language : English
Duration: 1h28 (dvd) ; 1h32 (imdb)

As a second Earth is discovered, Rhoda Williams, a drunken student, collides into a composer, John Burroughs’s car, killing his family and putting him in hospital, and Rhoda in prison. Released 4 years later, and as an ex-convict, she finds a cleaning job, and as she still feels guilty, she starts dreaming about fixing her life by going to this other Earth…

This is a medium piece of art, a movie on home budget, co-written by Mike Cahill and star actress Brit Marling (= Rhoda Williams). Filmed a bit like a docudrama, with partially shaky camera (a Sony EX3 actually), we get closer to Rhoda, the heroine, following her movements from the accident (caution : there is some blood shown in the aftermath, but it’s only PG13 and not overly graphic like it could’ve been)  and her daily, boring routine of cleaning people’s houses after her release from prison… a bit too much so, as a manner of fact: I already got how boring her life was quite fast and didn’t need to see her scrubbing so often. Luckily, the plot grew and we also got to see the drama, the guilt Rhoda faces and how she tries to deal with it.

I loved the cinematography, especially the rich blues (blue filter?). 



The science-fiction aspect is underlying during most of the movie, and the ending is quite surprising, especially in view of ‘’science-fiction’’ category… yes, it’s science-fiction – and the science behind the idea for this storytelling is a valid theory, making the movie plausible, yet it’s not what one expects from a classic science-fiction movie… (you’ll have to watch  Another Earth, and then the bonus material to understand what I’m taking about and why I don’t want to spoil by giving too much key information).

Brit Marling’s performance is good as she managed to convey the distress of her character.
William Mapother was ok, but I felt his composer character (John) wasn’t fully developed during the early parts of the movie, yet by the end I grew to better appreciate acting his plight.

I couldn’t stand the couple radio host’s voice, but thankfully he wasn’t overly present… the music was different, composed mostly by ‘’fall on your sword’’ in a rather techno-ish style.

Overall, I liked another earth for its originality, but wished it had concentrated more on the drama than the menial scrubbing scenes…
It was therefore mildly entertaining, a bit over the medium, but I do applaud the results for a small budget!


PS : there is one short sex scene, but it doesn’t last, and isn’t graphic. And you do understand why it happens when it does. Reminder, this is a PG13 movie. 




Another earth… in the media

I watched French edition dvd EAN 3344428048785.
Movie in 16/9 1.85:1 aspect, sound 5.1 dolby digital both for English and French, which are also the only 2 subtitles available.

Bonus : a few deleted scenes (total 8’57’’), trailer, music clip (3’16’’) ;
And short interviews, with Mike Cahil, Brit Marling, and a science consultant I will keep unnamed so not to give up the theory behind this movie : the science behind (2’34’’), creating Another Earth (2’25’’), which are both way too short!