On July 6, 2011, I had the pleasure of attending an advanced screening of Mike Cahill's feature film debut, Another Earth, the low-budget sci-fi drama that garnered two awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival (the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and the Dramatic Special Jury Prize). The screening was held at Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre, and my relatively close proximity to the theatre made it easier for me to arrive early enough to be guaranteed a place in the theatre. The theatre staff were unable to seat us until only a few minutes before showtime, as a number of seats had been reserved for members of The Coolidge Corner Theatre. Unfortunately, the film started considerably late, although this was presumably due to the importance of filling the theatre -- this screening was indeed a special one, as all of those in attendance were surely aware that Cahill, who also co-write/produced/filmed/edited the movie, and Brit Marling, the film's star and a co-writer/producer, would be participating in a Q&A session immediately following the screening.
The movie opens with a somewhat dizzying shaky camera, as Rhoda Williams (Marling) is celebrating her acceptance into MIT by doing what teenagers typically do on these occasions (i.e. drinking themselves silly). Rhoda is driving while intoxicated when she hears on the radio that another earth-like planet has been discovered, a planet that becomes known as "Earth 2." Rhoda has long been fascinated with the cosmos, and as she carelessly sticks her head out the window to take a peak at Earth 2, her car crashes into that of a man, his wife, and their young son. The boy and the mother die, but the father lives, as we find out four years later when Rhoda is released from prison. Upon her return home to her loving parents and her brother, Rhoda despises herself beyond belief, and appears to be exhibiting suicidal tendencies, as when she lies naked in the freezing snow. Although she is evidently extremely intelligent, she takes a job as a janitor for a local high school, because she aims to have as little human contact as possible. One day, she Googles John Burroughs (William Mapother), the man whose life she has ruined, and discovers that he is a renowned composer. She walks up to his house and knocks the door, with the intention of confessing and apologizing for what she has done--John never learned the name of the young woman who killed his wife and son because she was a minor--but she instead explains that she works for a maid company and offers to complete a trial cleaning of his house. John acquiesces, and Rhoda continues to clean his house, while she continually rips his checks. They begin to grow close, and eventually becomes lovers, yet Rhoda is still unable to muster the courage necessary to tell him the truth. Meanwhile, it is discovered that Earth 2 is, seemingly, an excact replicate of Earth 1, and Rhoda has entered a contest to travel to Earth 2 because, perhaps, the Rhoda Williams on Earth 2 has a better life.
Another Earth attempts to meld seamlessly the genres of dramedy and of science fiction and, for the most part, it succeeds. During the post-screening Q&A, Marling and Cahill described where the unique (and admittedly farfetched) idea originated: they wondered what it would be like to meet another "you" (i.e. somebody who looks, talks, etc. exactly like you). Marling, who has been friends with Cahill since college, is a relative unknown with extraordinary acting abilities. She conveys an unbelievable amount of emotion without uttering a single word, and when she speaks, her high-pitched, youthful voice takes you aback; oddly, in person, Marling appears much more mature-sounding. You feel what Rhoda is feeling, and you empathize with her, in spite of (and perhaps due to) the tragic accident that she caused. When Rhoda is voluntarily tidying up the mess in John's house, a house that was once inhabited by a family of three and feels unbearably empty despite its mess, she is not attempting to apologize or to seek forgiveness. I cannot recall the exact words that the eloquent, charming Marling used, but I do know that she said Rhoda was merely attempting to better John's life, because she had ruined it. Mapother, best known for playing the evil Ethan on ABC's Lost (which, by the way, is the best TV show in the entire universe), plays the likeable, funny John in a way that causes the audience to empathize with him as well. He may be decades older than Rhoda, yet they share a deep, intimate connection, one that is linked in an unfortunate manner, but each other's companionship provides much-needed hope and happiness in their lives.
The scientific relevance and plausability of the plot is to be debated, I am sure. If there was an Earth-like planet located so close to us, shouldn't we have discovered it sooner? Regardless, we do not discuss the specifics regarding time-travel movies, for example, so why bother here? Yet, for some reason, the movie feels ambiguous at times, and the preposterous astrology sub-plot seems to contradict that of the realistic plot and relationship between Rhoda and John. I suppose one should, however, concentrate on the "big picture," as the execution is essentially flawless (ignoring, of course, the jerky camera and other expected side effects of a low-budget feature film). Unconventional films like these will not be viewed by many, and perhaps may be discarded in a pile of other films that are possibly more relatable to mainstream audiences. But, sometimes, when we are truly seeking a film that changes our perceptions of reality, we find we are more than satisfied with one such as Cahill and Marling's astonishing Another Earth.
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