Wow. This is one of those thought-provoking films that will stay with you long after it's over.

It was impeccably co-written by Brit Marling - who's also the lead, and co-written and decently directed by Mike Cahill, in his first full length feature film. The fact a new filmmaker took this vision and gave us this beautiful independent little gem - on a 100k budget, is incredible. This is better than some films I've seen lately put together by seasoned filmmakers.

It's not your typical sci-fi, but it will spark the brain and move your soul. It's a muted story of atonement and forgiveness, in a quietly moving parable of redemption from the choices we make. The ending was perfection, as it answers that question you'll have, and leaves something extra for the imagination. The cinematography was excellent, and the score absolutely fitting and amazing. Casting and performances were spot on.

My only issue was Cahill's annoying and pointless fast zoom-ins, and the unnecessarily slow pacing, that made the normally pleasant 92 min runtime feel much longer. But nevertheless, for a new filmmaker on a limited independent budget, this was a gem to watch. It's a well deserving 8/10 from me.

Another earth-like world is approaching us. Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) just got accepted into MIT. She crashes into a family killing everybody except the father John Burroughs (William Mapother). She is imprisoned for 4 years. Now the new planet appears to be a duplicate of earth. She is haunted by the guilt and gets involved with John Burroughs.

The movie takes a very human story and marries it with one of the more intriguing premise. Often guilt and sadness can be a depressing subject matter. The pacing is always a danger point. That happens sometimes in this movie. Mike Cahill who directs and co-writes with Brit Marling lets some parts of this movie drag. It's an understandable part of this indie genre. The double earth forms not just a curious visual, but also like a spirit haunting this movie. It keeps the audience's interest as it lets Rhoda's story slowly evolve. It's a nice little trick and asks some interesting questions.

"Another Earth" is a nice effort but the film could have benefited from a tighter focus and a better ending. Now I am not trying to discourage the filmmakers--there was a lot to like. But by the end of the picture it just left me wanting something different--and much of it was because the film purports to be a sci-fi film--which it isn't. In fact, none of the sci-fi elements in the film are even necessary. Eliminating them would have made a much more compelling film.

The film has two simultaneous plot. The one I felt unnecessary was the appearance of another identical Earth in the sky. As it neared, folks naturally became curious and excited. Eventually, scientists learn that it's a mirror image of our planet and they discuss sending a group from Earth One to Earth Two.

The other plot, and the major focus of the film is about a teenage girl who is an idiot one night. She parties and drinks--and ends up hitting a car and killing two of the three passengers. The survivor, a professor, is in a coma for a very long time. When the girl who caused the crime, Rhoda (Britt Marling) is released from prison, she seemed depressed and repentant for her past. Later, she does something freaking insane--she goes to the home of the professor to apologize for her actions. However, when he answers the door, she panics and says she's from a cleaning service. He doesn't recognize her--presumably since he was in that lengthy coma and wasn't there for the trial. Anyway, he decides he WANTS a cleaning service and she begins, reluctantly, to clean for him. Over time, they both fall in love--improbable as it might seem. Despite this, the plot was certainly exciting despite the film's very deliberate (too deliberate) pacing. I have no serious complaints about this plot. My problem is that the other simply wasn't necessary and seemed to make it so the relationship between Rhonda and the professor didn't need to be completely explored. An interesting film but one that SHOULD have maintained a tighter focus. I wanted more on this weird relationship--especially after it went further and deeper.

By the way, as an ex-history teacher, I must point out that the film promoted a very common myth. Despite what Rhonda says early in the film when she's narrating, people did NOT think the Earth was flat during the time of Columbus. I used to lecture on this and could go on and on and on with a lengthy explanation, but it's probably best you either trust me on this or look it up yourself from some reputable websites. Folks during Columbus' time were a lot smarter than we think and this myth was promoted by Washington Irving in "A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus" in the 1800s.