I love low budget, independent films. There’s a certain rawness to their nature, the fact that they don’t hold the viewer’s hand throughout and allow you to connect the dots instead of being lead down a single interpretation. They leave the film open, and explore, showing not telling.
The opening sequence where we get to see a moment of tragedy is brilliantly shot, and completely unique. It is a mix of montage, close, quick shots, the chaotic nature of the shots betraying the cognitive ability of the woman depicted.
There's a car crash, and it is realistic. It doesn't end in Hollywood explosions and drama. It is raw and visceral, and a brilliant moment of character development. There's an eerie silence and a great sense of shock which is conveyed beautifully. This is refreshing. Very refreshing, and hammers home the intensity of the moment where life is unexpectedly shattered.
The acting of Brit Marling as Rhoda is haunting and believable. She plays the role stoically and powerfully. There’s a constant commentary throughout the film speculating on the inhabitants of the other Earth. It is a world obsessed with what ifs, the very basis of speculative fiction. William Mapother also plays his role well, giving an honest performance. He shows us another side of the story.
We move four years forward, and the tragedy of that moment is replaced with Another Earth lingering in a post-prison sky. The shot of exiting the jail and the terror of the road is well portrayed, with uncomfortable shots of trucks, lines of traffic congested, and a vacant eyed protagonist.
Even though the shots used in Another Earth are unconventional, and sometimes not of the best cinematic quality, they're very effective at conveying mood. I was immediately impressed by the presentation even though the quality isn’t always consistent.
The film is full of brilliant, excellently composed shots. It is worth watching just for the cinematography, and it is the sort of film that students of film studies should be encouraged to watch. There’s a great deal to learn from Another Earth. It is a story about justice, self-reflection; and has some challenging and tense scenes.
You should watch this film. There is some questionable absence of the physics involved in having another Earth lingering large in the sky, with tides and other matter seemingly unaffected. This doesn’t detract from the film and the story it tells, which is a brilliant one of a haunted young woman and the growing entropy of her actions which build to an almost anxiety-inducing emotional crescendo.