Another
Earth
Rated PG-13. Our Ratings: V -1;L -2; S/N -3.
Running time: 1 hour 32 min.
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Rhoda falls in love with the man she harmed years ago. © 2011 Fox Searchlight Films |
By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one avoids evil.
Proverbs 16:6
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will
obtain mercy.
Proverbs 28:13
Although most people think of alien invaders and space battles when “sci
fi” is mentioned, science fic
tion at its best posits a “What if…?” The people at Sundance
realized this when they awarded the
Alfred P. Sloan Prize to Another Earth, on the basis that it “best
portrays a sci-fi story” to director/writer Mike Cahill and co-writer
Brit Marling’s intriguing film.
On the night that teenaged Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) hears on her car
radio that a blue planet is entering our solar system, she makes a fatal
mistake. Intending to study astrophysics at M.I.T. after her high school
graduation, she is on her way home from a drinking party when she looks up
to catch a glimpse of the blue star. Thus as she comes to an intersection
her car wanders from its path, crashing into another one and killing the
wife and daughter of John Burroughs (William Mapother), a famous composer
and professor at Yale University.
After her release from prison, Rhoda has given up college plans and works
as a cleaning woman at her old high school. When she learns the whereabouts
of the widower, who has dropped out of life, she goes to seek forgiveness.
However, unable to find the words, she manages to hire on as his cleaning
lady.
It is fascinating to watch their relationship develop and to learn that the
mysterious planet, now so close that it can be seen even in the daytime,
turns out to be a mirror image of our Earth. We wait in suspense the moment
when John will discover her identity, and also wonder about the contest that
she enters. A billionaire has arranged for a space shuttle to transport a
group to visit Earth 2. To open up the passenger list to the unwealthy he
sets up an essay contest, the winner of which will be welcomed aboard along
with the paying passengers.
This is a fascinating “What if…?” film exploring the themes
of guilt and atonement.
There is plenty to question in the tale, such as why there doesn’t
seem to be any disturbance of the tides as the alternate Earth draws closer.
However, the multiverse theory, which states that ours is but one of an endless
number of universes existing simultaneously, is intriguing enough to keep
us wondering. People of faith might also wonder about the role of the Creator
God in such a system.
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