Director Mike Cahill is a man full of fascinating ideas. In his first feature, 2011’s Another Earth, he made us wrestle with the concept of what it would be like to discover a planet identical to ours. And although the film’s shoestring budget was transparent at times, it was an effective, intriguing, thinker’s film.
This year, he’s back with another film toying with big concepts and grounded, emotions-first science fiction. I Origins has a much larger scope than the previous film, but it all revolves around one of humanity’s oldest debates: science vs. theology. Our protagonist is Ian (Michael Pitt), a brilliant scientist who has an obsession with human eyes. This is what attracts him to the mysterious Sofi (Astrid Bergés-Frisby), whose eyes are unlike any he has ever seen. It’s impossible to say too much more without giving away key plot points, but Sofi is a woman who is rooted in spirituality, contrasting Ian’s firm belief in science, and their relationship unravels something that asks big questions from both.
At times, the film absolutely engrosses the viewer with intrigue and drama, but at other times, its slow pace and confusing concept lead to brief, monotonous stints.
As mentioned above, this is definitely a film where the less that you know about the direction that the story is going, the more entertaining and thought-provoking the movie is. With movies of this genre that really try to prod at your brain, there are moments of love and hate. At times, the film absolutely engrosses the viewer with intrigue and drama, but at other times, its slow pace and confusing concept lead to brief, monotonous stints. The solution here would have been to make a leaner film. The second half is significantly more interesting once a clear plot has been established, and overall the film could redact twenty minutes without losing any intrigue. There were moments that I didn’t think did much more than lead to a payoff later on in the story, and although those are well-crafted, it’s not to say that the whole film feels that way. It’s unfortunate because there is a great movie here but is bogged down with a poor one in between.
It’s interesting how similar my feelings are toward the film as were my feelings toward Another Earth. The films easily play as companion pieces, even featuring two of the same actors (Brit Marling and another, surprise cameo). I Origins has the larger budget, and the result is a film that feels more polished, but a concept that isn’t as easy to pin down. Both movies are uniquely flawed, and I Origins is at times frustrating for this reason. But I would prefer to have a challenging film and one that makes me think rather than one that is simply poorly made or boring. And part of the reason it’s great to know very little about this one going in is that the movie builds to a truly remarkable conclusion, answering our questions just enough, but still leaving enough open ends to spark a sense of wonder. More than any other young sci-fi director, I want to see more of Mike Cahill’s work, because although his ability to match high concept with moody drama is far from perfected, it is certainly captivating to watch unfold.
