Another Earth

It is always a gamble to walk into a film without having heard anything more about it than its genre; however it is awesome when it turns out to be a decent film.  In the case of “Another Earth”, it was promoted as a “Sci-Fi” category, yet this could be up for argument and almost does the film a injustice.  It could be said this is one of the most human, down-to-earth (excuse the pun) stories to be told. 

It shows humanity at its weakest and most vulnerable, it emphasises how beautiful relationships are  based on secrets and lies, it demonstrates stunningly how humans can adapt to the different situations they find themselves in, it is thought provoking and amazingly it evokes all the senses, even touch, which is a pretty special accomplishment for a film.

 

It absorbs its audience in the most all-encompassing way, despite the fact that it could easily have been filmed on a hand-held camera for all the Hollywood flare it does not have.  It is a philosophical journey, slow paced and unpredictable in a predictable way.   The dialogue is minimal.  This film has “Indie flick” written all over it but not in a pompous artsy way.  The use of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is haunting and continuous.  Best of all the ending is satisfying but not spoon fed.

Basically I loved this film, but do not go see if you are one that takes a bite out of the apple of cynicism and cannot cope with a little self-reflection.