Review #29: Another Earth

Release Date: January 24th, 2011
Writer: Mike Cahill, Brit Marling
Director: Mike Cahill

Logline: On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. (Source: IMDb) Drama, Sci-fi. 92min.
Bechdel Test: Passed all three tests

Review:
Here's a quick round up of what this movie is all about. Rhoda, a young student celebrates her acceptance to MIT as an aspiring astronomer. The night of her celebration a planet nearly identical to Earth is discovered close by. So close that an intoxicated Rhoda is staring at the sky instead of paying attention to the road. Rhoda crashes into the car of a young family. The movie deals with her yearning to visit and learn about Earth 2, and her ongoing battle to repent for the tragedy she caused. It's a fascinating examination of choices, repercussions, and what someone does when confronted with themselves.

This is difficult movie to sell to someone. It's vaguely sci-fi. It's quite depressing for a long stretch. It's a thinker about philosophy and morality. I won't say the cliche phrase "It's not for everyone" because that implies that because a movie is smart then a huge chunk of people won't be interested. I hope a lot of people are interested in this movie.

Ok, before we go overboard with the applause, it's not the best movie. The first half of the film drags. I'm not a fan of the heavy handed cinematography and overly melodramatic moments that come with many independent movies. There are long chunks were no one even speaks. On occasion it feels low budget, but it's mostly gritty and realistic.

I do really love this movie though. It far more character drama then sci-fi story. In fact the only time I tend to like sci-fi is when used in this context, as a story supporting allegory. Even though the movie is quite melancholy and single-minded, it illustrates a good evolution of character and changes are often shown, not spoken. For me, it works.

Brit Marling is fantastic and part of the reason why this movie works is because she's able to carry it. The image of Rhoda standing ocean side with the second Earth looming overhead as the ever present possibility of a different life beautifully represents the thematic intention of the movie.


Portrayal of Women: If this concept was placed in the hands of million dollar leading man, with broader thematic appeal then you might have Tom Cruise or Will Smith starring in the next summer blockbuster. Somehow I think having a female lead this movie gives it a quiet subtlety that might otherwise not have existed.

What's almost more important is Rhoda isn't a cliched character. She's not a character that exists in other movies. Even at the opening of the film, she's a regular high school girl. Getting into college, partying with her friends, smart, passionate, flirtatious. Those are not traits given to women in media without having them be exaggerated to the point of being the singular defining characteristic. She's a woman that isn't usually in movies because she's a regular woman.

Sisterhood Moment: I love the way news about the second Earth was presented. Rhoda isn't a special scientist or military expert, she watches the news with her parents. In one news broadcast the US governments attempts to contact the second Earth. It's a haunting scene with genuine guttural reactions from the characters. And a woman was the chosen representative. Go Earth!

Rating: 4 planets out of the solar system

IMDb - Another Earth (7.0)
Wikipedia - Another Earth
Rotten Tomatoes - Another Earth (63%)

What to see this weekend

Do you want to see:

 A female lead or co-lead?
-Very Good Girls (iTunes)
-Begin Again
-They Came Together

-The Fault in Our Stars

-Obvious Child (Limited)

Directed by a woman?
-Very Good Girls (iTunes)
-Obvious Child (Limited)

Written or co-written by a woman?
-Very Good Girls (iTunes)
-Obvious Child (Limited)

Review #28: Bachelorette

Release Date: May 28, 2013
Writer: Leslye Headland
Director: Leslye Headland

Logline: Three friends are asked to be bridesmaids at a wedding of a woman they used to ridicule back in high school. (Source: IMDb)
Bechdel Test: Passed all 3 tests

Review

This movie has a special place in my heart because I credit it as one of the movies that revolutionized the way I think about women in film.  All three of the main characters in this film are unlikeable, deeply flawed and unbelievably selfish. The result is a dark and edgy but hilarious look at female friendships that exist solely due to shared history.

This movie came out when everyone was still riding the girl power high of Bridesmaids (a movie that I also love). Unfortunately, Bachelorette was repeatedly compared to Bridesmaids even though its tone and message are wildly different.  This unfair comparison is part of the reason the film is often overlooked.

Bachelorette’s vulgarity is rooted in honesty and every shocking line is justified through its speaker’s character development throughout the film.  We get a very multilayered look at what these girls are like and that insight makes the dialogue authentic and powerful.

The performances are all great, it's as if the parts were written for each actor.  Lizzy Caplan is sarcastic and ultra negative, Isla Fisher is ditzy beyond and Kirsten Dunst is terrifyingly controlling. Rebel Wilson's role is smaller but she is also wonderful as the bride whose wedding is what brings them together.

The girls' reunion is disrupted when the bride's dress gets ripped the night before the ceremony. What follows is a drug-infused all nighter of trying to fix the dress as well as the past mistakes that continue to haunt them.

Although the plot moves along quickly, the story remains grounded even as the girls’ night spins more and more out of control.  This is a film that aims to get to know each character – as their situation become increasingly unstable, their true identities become apparent.  The chaos is simply a vehicle to get to an understanding of what makes each girl tick.

The characters are despicable, the plot is chaotic and the dialogue is raw but these aspects combined produce an entertaining film with a refreshing ring of honesty.

Portrayal of Women: As previously mentioned, the three main women are not likeable. They are incredibly selfish, rude and downright mean. This is borderline revolutionary because roles like this are generally reserved for men.

It's a lot harder for audiences to accept a mean woman that it is a mean man - but in real life, women are sometimes mean. We aren't meant to like these characters, we're meant to find them interesting and try to understand where that selfishness comes from - the same way we try to empathize with Don Draper or Walter White.

Headland does a fantastic job in giving each character a backstory that explains their present behaviour. As we begin to understand them, we also begin to empathize them. We may not like them any more but we root for them anyways.  It's nice to see women get these complex roles that allow them to have much more depth than the average female character gets.

A lot of the humour stems from the bad behaviour. From Regan exploiting her experience working with sick kids so she has a good story to Gena and Katie completely ruining the rehearsal dinner, each mess up results in a perfect moment of hilarity. We love that the girls get to be the anti-heroes and they get to bring in the laughs too.

Sisterhood Moment: The scene where the girls reunite before the wedding is so full of energy and pure joy.  There's nothing as good as hugging your bestie after being apart for a long time.

Rating: 4 wedding dresses you've dreamt of since you were a little girl

IMDb - Bachelorette (5.3)
Wikipedia - Bachelorette
Rotten Tomatoes - Bachelorette (56%)

What to see this weekend

Do you want to see:

 A female lead?

-The Fault in Our Stars

-Obvious Child (Limited)
-Maleficent

Directed by a woman?
-Obvious Child (Limited)

Written or co-written by a woman?
-Obvious Child (Limited)
-Maleficent