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An easy, low-blow criticism of “Another Earth” would be a play on its very premise — a declaration of hope that, in a parallel universe, on our duplicate orb, there’s a better version of the film. Humoring such a notion is precisely what makes this multiple Sundance award winner worthy of slightly more consideration and slightly less snark. Its heady backdrop of big ideas is what memorable car rides home are made of, and its low-budget tackling of high-concept, Hollywood-ready material is catnip for anyone whose senses seek vengeance on the “Transformers” trilogy.
Presenting a tableau in which an identical globe — with an identical culture — hovers in our atmosphere, it begs questions like, “What would you do if you knew there were another you?”
Sadly, these bold, ambitious thought bubbles are burst by amateurish craft and a failed effort to juxtapose the awesome with the intimate. To its credit, “Another Earth” helps boost the growing line of arthouse productions that bring gritty realism to the sci-fi genre, and director/co-writer Mike Cahill deserves kudos for thinking big. Charting the atonement of a young ex-con (Brit Marling) amidst the world’s struggle to reconcile the new planet’s emergence, his film offers a timely evocation of the first moon landing, and the looming, global dread of an apocalyptic thriller.
But the newbie filmmaker rarely ceases to sugar up his drama with needless formal tricks, all of which show the seams in both his instincts and experience level. If not blaring the score to make sure you know the conflict’s coming, he’s compromising his handheld style with risible, violent zooms, and using grainy superimposition to emphasize … what? Worse still is a hollow, clichéd tale of grief with inconsistent personalities, phantom plot threads that should have been cut, and an ill-advised romance that’s awkward at best.
Cahill thrives when his head’s in the stars, but falters on a human scale. Likewise, “Another Earth” is a great conversation piece, so long as the conversation doesn’t involve technical savvy, character continuity or good, old-fashioned gravity.
Another Earth
PG-13
Two reels out of four
Opens tomorrow at the Ritz East
Recommended Rental
Cold Weather
Not Rated
Available Tuesday
Set in writer/director Aaron Katz’s rainy hometown of Portland, Ore., “Cold Weather” is a beautifully shot, micro-budgeted mystery, following the Sherlock-Holmes-obsessed Doug (Cris Lankenau) as he reconnects with his sister and aims to crack a curious case involving his ex-girlfriend. Katz does much with little in this clearly personal film, one of 2011’s gems. SPR
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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