REVIEW: In hope (in need) of ‘Another Earth’

Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) leads a depressing life in director Mike Cahill’s new feature, Another Earth. Recently released from jail after killing a mother and child while drunk driving, the wan blonde tries to contemplate the gravity of her actions and pull her life together. But after knowing what she did, there almost seems no point. Rhoda has no enthusiasm to pick up the pieces, despite the support of her family and the prospects of a new maintenance job at her old high school.

Then she meets John Burroughs (William Mapother), the survivor of the accident. Much like Rhoda, he’s a broken person who doesn’t like to leave the house and can’t find the enthusiasm to get back on track. With his wife and son gone, his will to live has evaporated.

Oddly, the two have many things in common. Although Rhoda caused John’s detachment from the world, the end result is the unraveling of both characters. They both can’t seem to face another sunrise, and, in many ways, that’s a pity. As their worlds crumble, the actual earth is readying for a cataclysmic revelation.

High in the sky, looking almost like a moon, is another earth. Scientists and astronomers say it has the same topography and landscape as our planet. It appears, in all likelihood, that it’s our identical twin — not only featuring similar coastlines and continents, but also playing home to another version of ourselves. This ball in the sky has another Rhoda and another John, although we never learn the details of what that means.

The news is welcomed with a healthy deal of skepticism. Is this the end of the world? Is this the beginning of a new era? What about our two main characters? They meet so many years after the accident under false terms. Rhoda knows how she’s forever connected to John, but she loses the courage to tell him the truth. Instead, she poses as a house cleaner and offers to keep him company much like a maid. As these two lost souls grow closer, the alternate earth beckons people looking for a fresh start or maybe a second chance to say goodbye to a loved one.

Cahill wrote the film with Marling, and one can tell that it’s a labor of love. It’s wrong to classify the movie as science fiction, although it certainly has out-of-this-world elements. A more accurate comparison could be made with Lars von Trier’s exquisite Melancholia, starring Kirsten Dunst. Both films feature supernatural phenomena, but it’s about the human hurt at the center of their stories that proves memorable.

Another Earth doesn’t succeed as well as Melancholia, for no other reason than it’s the definition of a sad movie. Both Rhoda and John are somewhat depressing to watch, and, although one can’t blame them for their despondency, it makes for 90 minutes of frowning and near tears. There’s no humor. There’s an overbearing soundtrack. There’s not even too many colors, beyond the blue of the new earth. It all has a funereal quality, which is appropriate, but despairing.

Cahill and Marling, who often team up on movies, are two voices to watch. They have made an imperfect movie, but one with great potential that feels genuinely heartfelt. Featuring a tender performance from Mapother and a clever concept, Another Earth is worth catching, at least to see if any of the characters look like you.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Another Earth

• 2011

• Directed by Mike Cahill

• Written by Cahill and Brit Marling

• Staring Marling and William Mapother

• Running time: 92 minutes

• Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, some sexuality, nudity and brief drug use

• Rating: