There are two irreplaceable stars to this fairly low budget movie, one the beautiful vision of the second earth itself, and two, Brit Marling, the beautiful protagonist who is in almost every frame. This is not a sci-fi movie in any real sense. The second earth is just a convenient device to explore the real subject of this film, the anguished journey of a young woman who has committed a horrific crime lacking any real intent.
It's easy enough to get the details of that crime before seeing the movie but suffice it to say that there was a similar incident with a young woman in my town in the near past so it had an extra level of relevance for us.
In the local case the girl got away scot-free. This movie's protagonist not only doesn't get away unscathed, she struggles in an utterly humane way to overcome her guilt. For that Brit Marling is an exquisite choice of actress who held my attention and sympathy throughout. All the more impressive because she shared writing credits with the director, Cahill.
This is an artful if bare bones film that you will forgive for having to resort to fantasy to make its points. It definitely makes me wonder what this Mike Cahill might come up with next.
It's easy enough to get the details of that crime before seeing the movie but suffice it to say that there was a similar incident with a young woman in my town in the near past so it had an extra level of relevance for us.
In the local case the girl got away scot-free. This movie's protagonist not only doesn't get away unscathed, she struggles in an utterly humane way to overcome her guilt. For that Brit Marling is an exquisite choice of actress who held my attention and sympathy throughout. All the more impressive because she shared writing credits with the director, Cahill.
This is an artful if bare bones film that you will forgive for having to resort to fantasy to make its points. It definitely makes me wonder what this Mike Cahill might come up with next.