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I Origins Review (1 Viewer)

Yavin

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I Origins is the second feature from Another Earth director Mike Cahill. This time, he wrote the film as well as directed it (whereas Another Earth was co-scripted by star Brit Marling). Marling appears in this film as well, and she and Michael Pitt play a couple of scientists (Ian and Karen) trying to disprove that the human eye was created by some intelligent designer (i.e., God). However, Ian's belief in science is thrown into question when he meets a mysterious woman named Sofi (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), who introduces him to her spiritual beliefs. The film poses the question: What if science and religion weren't mutually exclusive?

Here's an excerpt from my review:
Cahill handles the film's central themes — evolutionism versus creationism and belief versus faith — with a deft touch, orchestrating I Origins' first two acts as a carefully-choreographed build-up to the film's big "a-ha" moment, so that when it finally arrives, it feels genuinely revelatory, not clichéd or contrived. Part of that certainly owes to the film's convincing depictions of scientific research, but the lion's share of the credit goes to the emotional resonance of the performances — especially Pitt's, as it's through his character's eyes that the story is told.
The other two principal actors, Marling and Bergès-Frisbey, shoulder their characters' fair share of the story's emotional weight quite capably as well, with Bergès-Frisbey portraying Sofi as a waifish, otherwordly type of creature — exotic but at the same time somewhat flighty — while Marling plays a character who's Sofi's counterpoint — someone who's just as grounded as Ian, but more emotionally attuned.

Sofi's preoccupation with the spiritual side of life has a good deal to do with what Ian finds alluring about her, but there's also a point in the film where he finds that quality of her's maddening, and it leads into the movie's most heart-wrenching moment. Karen, on the other hand, is there to pick up the pieces, but whereas the attraction between Ian and Sofi arises out of their differences, it's Karen and Ian's shared passion for science that draws them to one another. In the end, it's this trio of performances — a love triangle of sorts, echoing the ever-present push-and-pull between science and religion — that propels the movie forward and keeps it intriguing from start to finish.
4 out of 5. Ultimately, what Cahill achieves with I Origins is akin to what other directors, like Duncan Jones, with his film, Moon, have done: addressed a tantalizing what-if scenario — this time, surrounding the big-picture topic of the very nature of our existence — with introspective and personal storytelling. Consider it refreshing counter-programming to the Summer's usual crop of bombastic sci-fi blockbusters: a piece of filmmaking that isn't just wildly thought-provoking, but that's earnest and emotionally captivating as well.
 

Lou Sytsma

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Excellent review Ben. I saw another review on Reviews On The Run that praised it as well.

I'll be keeping an eye out for this one.
 

Yavin

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Hey, thanks Lou. Yeah, I highly recommend it. It's a very engrossing film.
 

Josh Steinberg

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Do you think I'd enjoy this movie if I didn't like "Another Earth"? The premise seems intriguing.. I felt the same way about "After Earth", I was so excited to see it and then felt very let down.
 

Yavin

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I think you probably would. I remember Cahill saying that he specifically wanted to make I Origins more scientifically-grounded than Another Earth. So if it was that aspect of Another Earth (the lack of science) that bothered you, you should enjoy I Origins more.
 

Josh Steinberg

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I think that was definitely a big part of it. Cool! Thanks for the feedback, looking forward to seeing it now.
 

MarkMel

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Just saw this on Cable. I liked Another Earth and I really liked Sound of My Voice that also starred Brit Marling. I thought this was fantastic and movies that ask "what if?" are particularly interesting to me.


After watching a movie, sometimes before I go on IMDB to see what others thought of the film. After I.Origins I went and read the reviews. I don't think I have ever seen reviews that were so divided in their opinions. There were just as many 2's as 10's.


Oh Astrid Berges-Frisbey was fun to watch too.
 

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