Another Earth MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +4 Content: +3

William Mapother, Brit Marling, Kumar Pallana, Jordan Baker. Drama/romance. Written by Mike Cahill, Brit Marling. Directed by Mike Cahill. Opened in limited release 7/20/11.

FILM SYNOPSIS: After a car crash, two people, one an aspiring MIT astrophysics student, the other a music composer and devoted family man, find their lives intertwined. While driving home, the 17-year-old girl recklessly looks up at the newly discovered world scientists consider to be a duplicate of Earth. Suddenly, there’s a crash, her mistake causing the composer to lose his family and reason for being. Four years later, the girl is released from prison and wants to make amends. But at the moment when she plans to apologize, she loses her nerve, claiming to be his new maid as her reason for coming to his door. Seeing that he is still in great heartache, the contrite young woman seeks to help him in some small way.

Estranged from the world and the selves they once knew, the two outsiders begin an unlikely love affair and reawaken to life. But when she is presented with the chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to the other Earth and embrace an alternate reality, she realizes a sacrifice is necessary in order to ease his pain.

PREVIEW REVIEW: A rather existential look at forgiveness and atonement, this moving, low-budgeted character study suggests the need for love’s sacrifice in order to heal another’s wounded soul. Though the imaginative parable skirts any restoration by way of Christ’s intervening, the film does offer the need to put others first. Its thought-provoking examination-of-life questions that begin with “What if…” blends gently with a heart-wrenching love story that haunts. Another Earth is reminiscent of a time when human emotion, rather than CGI effects, ruled at the box office.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures