Another Earth is an intimate personal drama enclosed inside a vast, metaphorical science-fiction shell. A mirror image of our planet is located in the sky. Two broken-down people imagine what it would mean for another version of themselves to exist in the universe. What would be different?
Working with a small budget, writer / director / cinematographer / editor Mike Cahill balances the natural with the otherworldly in this stylish and striking debut. The film has made a splash at Sundance and elsewhere on the festival circuit, including at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, where I had a chance to talk with Cahill. He shares a bit of insight on the power of science-fiction, establishing the film’s visual tone and the creative freedom of the independent filmmaker.
Another Earth opens in limited release next Friday, July 22nd.
Want to hear more about Another Earth? Listen to my podcast about the film here.
Film Capsule: Which came first, the sci-fi premise of the film or the relationship between the main characters, and how did they collide?
Mike Cahill: It started from a simple idea: what would it be like to meet yourself? Would you like that person, dislike that person, what would you say to that person? Then came the other Earth, extrapolating this simple idea so that everyone on the planet could ponder this same question. And then finally came the idea of the down-to-earth drama of John and Rhoda, outsiders who would have compelling issues to take up with their doppelganger counterparts.
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Film Capsule 