Reasons Why "Another Earth" is Independent Filmmaking at its Best!

  To make a long story short; A highschool graduate kills a man’s family in a drunk driving accident. Years later she's released from prison, goes to apologize to the man, but lies instead, and befriends him– Don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled the movie, you get all this from the trailer.

This is independent filmmaking at it’s best. Why?

1. The script is so well written. The interior storyline follows the lead character explore some massive personal growth. She feels horrible for what she did- and she should, she drove home drunk and killed a man’s family. An internal dilemma kicks in, how can we root for a person that ended two innocent lives? You should hate this person, but you can't, you witness her being human, making a mistake, and trying to make amends. 

  

 

        The exterior storyline explores the discovery of an Earth-like planet, inhabited by citizens identical to our Earth. Then film then plays with the idea of, did the other me do better than me? Did they make the same mistakes? Both storylines compliment each other so well, that it leaves such a good aftertaste once it fades to black. 

 

2. Memorable scene: You barely see her smile in the beginning, but there’s this one scene when she stops at a convenient store, goes to the candy isle, takes a bag of gummy worms, and smiles. This moment only lasts a couple of seconds, yet her smile made me empathize with her. This poor girl is so consumed by remorse, that she keeps trying to punish herself. Yet, she just got off an eight hour shift, she’s tired, and she’s just looking for a little pick-me-up. As she tries to pay for her gummy worms, she runs into an old friend- who, unlike her, went to college, finished school, and is now engaged. He has his life together, she's working as a janitor in their old high school. She ends up leaving the gummy worms on the counter and walks out. The consequences of her mistakes echo through this film.

 

3.  This film is indie filmmaking at it’s best. The overall theme is beautiful; don’t let yesterday dictate who you are today, or who you’re going to be tomorrow. It explores the idea of second chances, and how we sometimes feel like we’re not worthy of them, yet we don’t want to be who we were yesterday, so we jump into the abyss of the unknown, hoping the grass is greener on the other side.

 

 Check out the trailer and let me know what you think!