Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), is a space-crazed teenager with a spot at MIT waiting for her after graduation. Like so many other teens, however, Rhoda is careless and, after a night of drinking with friends at a party, plows head on into another car. The car's pregnant passenger and her five-year-old daughter are killed, leaving the driver, John Burroughs (William Mapother) in a coma.
The same night of Rhoda's accident, scientists announce the discovery of another Earth-like planet, dubbed "Earth 2." Rhoda is sent to prison for four years for her crime. On her release, Rhoda sinks into a deep depression; she opts to take a job as a janitor at the local high school and chooses to sleep on a dirty mattress in a bare room. Meanwhile, Earth 2 spirals closer to Earth, eventually revealing itself as an exact duplicate of our Earth and its inhabitants.
Before visions of rocket ships and alien invasion creep into your mind, know that Another Earth is not that sort of film. The parallel Earth is instead a massive allegorical plot device hanging in the sky used to convey ideas of synchronicity rather than building toward something of a grander scale. The film could have dropped the idea of an alternate Earth altogether and still worked, though it does add something else to the film, though what it adds will ultimately need to be decided by the viewer. The giant specter of the second Earth does, however, lend a couple of really awe-inspiring moments, especially in HD (the included DVD and digital copies don't look bad either).
Another Earth is a quiet drama, focusing on the improbable relationship that builds between Rhoda and John after Rhoda's failed attempt at apologizing for her past mistakes. What starts as Rhoda helping John around the house under the guise of a maid service eventually grows into a real friendship. Again, there's the giant glowing orb floating over everything, though it isn't necessary. Instead, the film's heart lies in the performances of Brit Marling and John Mapother. The two are amazing together, even when the dialogue becomes a tangled mess of words.
Mapother, who some Lost fans may remember as Ethan, undergoes a dramatic, and incredibly believable, change throughout the film. Marling brings the same energy to Rhoda and it is hard not to root for her, especially after spending time with her during the film's extras. Marling, and co-writer/ director Mike Cahill, show up in most of the extras, which cover everything from Marling discussing her character to the duo sitting down with astrophysicist Dr. Richard Berendzen to discuss the science behind the film. The segment doesn't go much further than a short discussion about the mathematical probabilities of a parallel universe and our odd fixation on the possibility, but is worth the three minutes it takes to watch.
The better story to grow out of the extras is the film's Robert Rodriguez-style production. As Mike Cahill describes it, filming Another Earth was like running alongside a set of toppling dominos to make sure each falling block hit something on the way down. The production began with just a script, a HD camcorder and his mom's house. During the extra, "Creating Another Earth," Cahill and Marling discuss struggling to find the money to purchase Rhoda's $40 janitor costume. I already knew some of the production stories going into the film (such as Marling posing as a yoga instructor to get a prison shot for the film), but after watching it and listening to Cahill and Marling, I want to know more. I really wish more time had been spent on that aspect. The character studies and Fox Movie Channel featurette are nice, but the real story is in how everything came together.
If anything else, Another Earth is something every aspiring filmmaker needs to see. Sci-fi fans with visions of "sci-fi action" will be greatly disappointed. Another Earth is a drama with a sci-fi theme, putting it more in line with Contact than any other film in the genre. If you enjoyed other quieter sci-fi films like Monsters, Moon or even Contact, you'll enjoy Another Earth. Otherwise, only give it a watch if you're serious about seeing what can be done with little money and a lot of drive.
