“Another Earth” is the 2011 film from director Mike Cahill. It stars Brit Marling as Rhoda and William Mapother as John Burroughs.
The story surrounds Rhoda, a 21-year old girl whose life is turned upside down after a tragic car accident which she caused. This is one half of “Another Earth”- a deep, introspective human story. The other half is grounded in science fiction. Right before her accident Rhoda was looking out her window to examine what would become known as ‘Earth 2’- a planet similar to Earth that’s visible in the sky.
It becomes known that even the people on Earth 2 are identitical to the people on Earth- everyone has a version of themselves out there on this Earth 2. This concept rarely shows up in the film (till the ending), but the idea of it permeates every scene and makes us viewers wonder: What would we do and say if we ever met another version of ourselves? And better yet, if there are second chances for humans on Earth 2, are there second chances for us on this Earth?
Still, the science fiction takes a backdrop to the story of Rhoda and John, which essentially is a story of atonement. It was spectacular to see the view of Earth 2 from the night sky, but the most heartbreaking scenes were when Rhoda and John bonded over video games, and when he played his musical saw for her.
Fall on Your Sword contributed the fantastic soft-techo score, while actress Brit Marling (who did an excellent job playing Rhoda), co-wrote the film.
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