But this time
around this post is not about my experiences as an indie writer, but rather
about an indie movie I rented recently. A nice little gem of a film released in
2011 called Another Earth; it had its
premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2011 where it won an award.
You can find it listed on IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1549572/. It was directed by Mike Cahill, and written
by him and Brit Marling, who also has the lead female role of Rhoda in the
film. Another Earth is labeled as
both a drama and a sci-fi film, and I guess you could say that it is a sci-fi
film of sorts. But the science fiction aspect is not paramount; it is the
backdrop for the personal drama that plays out in the film. Despite the
presence of the ‘other earth’ in the sky—a hauntingly beautiful orb that looks
just like our planet—the film is really about what happens to individual lives
in the aftermath of personal tragedy. It is about making amends, paying back,
trying to forgive, and trying to move on with one’s life. The two main
characters, Rhoda and John (played by William Mapother), have a hard time
moving on with their lives. Their paths become entwined through a mistake
really, or rather a failure on the part of Rhoda, a college-age young woman, to
inform John, a middle-aged professor for whom she cleans house, about her role
in the car accident that took his wife and child from him. Her inability to
tell him about her role in his personal tragedy leads inevitably to another
type of failure—the end of a love affair, but which inspires her to try to set things
right for him. The film is well-worth seeing. The sci-fi elements of the film
serve to keep us wondering about the possibility of second chances on the other
earth, and this involves the aspect of whether or not there is synchrony
between both planets. Will the other ‘me’ on the other earth have lived the
same life as I did on this earth, and so forth. I won’t give away the details
or ending of the film, but will say that despite a rather abrupt ending, you
won’t be disappointed. The film will make you think, and if you read the
message boards about this film on IMDB, you will find that there are others who
are puzzling about the very same things. The mark of a good film—it gets people
talking, discussing and trading ideas and possible scenarios.
I have no
idea how much it costs to make films, nor do I have any idea of what it cost to
make Another Earth. According to IMDB,
it grossed $77,740 in the USA on its
opening weekend (24 July 2011); it opened on four screens. As of 2 October
2011, it had grossed $1,316,074 in the USA. I rented the DVD here in Oslo just
last weekend; I cannot remember that it opened in the theaters here, although
according to IMDB it opened here in Norway in November 2011. No matter. I’ve
seen it on DVD. It will be interesting to see what returns will come from the
foreign market, especially from DVD rentals/sales. The American earnings are
not a lot of money really, compared to what some of the commercial blockbusters
rake in. But I’m betting that Mike Cahill and Brit Marling are not complaining.
I doubt it cost them that much money to make the film. So now they may even
have some funds to write and direct a new film. It will be interesting to
follow them further; I hope they make more films like Another Earth.
