Try to picture a movie about self-forgiveness and here’s what you’ll get: someone wincing in a mirror. Now try to imagine a movie about mirrors.
Frustrating, I know. And that’s the feeling you get when you watch “Another Earth.” Substituting a mirror with a planet as its focus, the film wanders lost through a symbolic space which seems maddeningly endless. While it may mystify viewers with some of its metaphysical musings, the film gets too caught up in its own vocabulary to ever say anything.
The story opens on the night when teenaged Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) hears that scientists have discovered an “Earth 2” nearing Earth’s orbit. Her head in the clouds, Rhoda drives into the vehicle of Professor John Burroughs (William Mapother), killing his wife and son. Lacking the nerve to apologize, Rhoda fosters a romantic relationship with Burroughs under false pretenses. As she combats her inner self, Earthlings debate the reality of their twin planet.
Let’s start with the obvious: A planetary perterbation would cause cataclysmic gravitational effects on Earth. Now let’s cue the generous critic: “It’s a metaphor, dummy!”
Fine. But a story of inner turmoil told with handheld aesthetics and terse dialogue allows almost no room for non-realistic fare. Director Mike Cahill demands your appreciation of life’s small and tender moments, and if suspension of disbelief is a prerequisite, then the task loses its purpose.
Plausibility aside, the Earth 2 metaphor raises so many unnecessary questions about parallel realities that the film loses sight of itself. A beautiful story about self-forgiveness gets swallowed by theoretical filler.
Soon enough, a naked Rhoda stands in the snow crying to the sight of Earth 2. You want to believe it’s content, but really it’s just an arresting image.
Supposing films reflect the human experience, Mike Cahill has made a movie about how movies can affect us. And with films as with people: Those which can’t do…
Verdict: 2/5 Stars
“Another Earth” is coming to The Chelsea Theater at the Timberlyne Shopping Center. You can find directions to the theater here.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
