What would we really like to see if we could stand outside of ourselves and look at us? We would like to see our best selves. A better version, the one we hold dear in our minds. Would it matter to you what other people might think? It shouldn’t. Because regret, bad decisions, those crossroads we took in our lives have led us to this. This moment of believing in ourselves. In finding that peace of mind. Of learning to adjust, to care, to love and to forgive ourselves.
Second chances come so easily to some and become very rare to others. What if your figurative wanting for redemption became a reality? Would you take the chance? The chance of a lifetime. A lifeline, into the unknown, unto another earth?
We are Two Takes. And this is ‘One Shot’. An analysis of the film ‘Another Earth’.
Alternative realities have been speculated by many people, the curious becoming concerned with our reactions to such drastic differences.
What if you met yourself? What would you say?
This idea helped the filmmaker Mark Cahill to create the sci-fi motion picture, ‘Another Earth’. Within the film, Mark chose these questions to intertwine with a heartfelt story of an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer crossing paths in a tragic accident. This accident would then form a timeline of events that would question the concept of alternative realities, external and internal conflicts, acceptance of oneself, and the beauty of distractions.
Rhoda Williams, after being in juvenile prison for four years after her car collision, killing the pregnant wife and son of the composer, leaving him in a coma; is let out, searching for employment and meaning in her existence. She is sullen, quiet, distracted and feeling the ultimate guilt for what she has done. The explanation for the collision was her being distracted whilst driving, looking at the sky with the DJ on the radio explaining it to be the first sightings of another planet, perhaps with potential for life.
Following on from her release, the expansion of information about this ‘Earth 2’ is explored further in the film, its presence being felt in the sky in almost every outside shot, with the backdrop purposefully becoming bland and empty to emphasise the isolation of the main character.
The inclusion of the voice-over of astrophysicist Dr. Richard Berendzen in these moments of ‘back drop isolation’, speculating the potential of life beyond our planetary horizons, has Rhoda walking alone, head down, perhaps feeling like an alien herself, by her constant distancing from her own kind.
The dominant and lingering feature of seeing ‘Earth 2’ is repeated throughout the movie, and how it is coming closer; not by distance alone but rather by technology and communication. This feeling also co-insides with Rhoda’s journey of self; the Freudian theory of Id (her unconscious primal desires and basic nature) the Ego (her conscious reason and self control) and the Superego (the quest for perfection within her philosophical and spiritual ideals based on socialisation). It is almost as if the secondary planet is a unavoidable ‘wake up call’; all of the distractions in Rhoda’s life are seen as futile attempts for what needs to be done. On the surface, her Superego is taking control, based on everyone’s judgements on what is right and what is wrong, making the choices she makes seem self indulgent. She helps others to help herself, to console herself, secretly but scarcely feeding her Ego. In a scene that has John revealing something in himself that Rhoda helped bring out, his love, once more, for composing and making music, a primal need for sexual gratification and touch comes into play, with the Id making a desperate attempt to break through. Though temporarily quenched, this deepens the hole Rhoda has buried herself in and her own self critical judgements follow suit, making it a full circle.
On the basis of opinions and judgements, the movie includes of interviews with various members of the public about how they feel about ‘Earth 2’. It is a fire of emotions, some good and some negative and defensive. This could be perceived as what Rhoda might perhaps be feeling about how others might see her. Hence her silence of her struggles.
Rhoda’s response about ‘Earth 2’ is kept from us. The decisions of what she does with what information she gets is shown to be on the right path. Her reactions about ‘Earth 2’, are contrasting with how other characters might react.
The main interest lies in Purdeep, the blind janitor that sometimes helps Rhoda in her cleaning. The eventual reason behind his blindness and sudden self inflicting deafness was because he couldn’t stand seeing and hearing himself everywhere. Colliding with the impact of knowing the ‘Earth 2’ is an exact mirror image of our own Earth, his reaction introduces the theme of the Doppelgänger; of how it is now seen in a literal sense (that ‘Earth 2’ are us) and the meaning of the word in the mental health sphere. Purdeep could not handle it. But Rhoda can.
The idea of the Doppelgänger, particular in the film and literature, is seen as a cosmic occurrence when things are going wrong and nature needs to correct itself. Another self is seen, it is a mirrored image, with one being evil and one being good. Various films such as ‘Another Me’, and ‘Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde’ present this idea with a more theatrical quality with either nature (secret twins with spirits) or science (experiments with potions) being the catalyst behind the fight of good and evil. This is not the case in Rhoda’s journey, the ‘correction’ is the ‘doomsday’ feeling of something unavoidable hurtling towards us; in the literal sense, this is ‘Earth 2’ with its unknown and dominating presence in the sky. In the metaphorical sense, the correction is much simpler, for Rhoda to apologise and to forgive herself.
The concept of good and evil, and to which one is which, is never answered in ‘Another Earth’. It could be theorised that we, as the audience, are in fact following the story of the evil one, as Rhoda reflects about her actions and calls herself the villain multiple times because of her one bad deed.
Reflecting upon Purdeep’s development that is stalled physically, his calming and soothing words throughout the film help Rhoda’s persona begin to form to those around her. However, though Rhoda is in need of personal development, her importance lies in what she decides to do with what happened to her four years prior, unlike what Purdeep decided to do with his own demons. This development is slow but important, marking the difference in her mental age.
We need to remember that she is still just a kid, and her development has suffered by being in juvenile prison.
For example, her explanation of the moving picture of Jupiter indicates how more intriguing and possible and scary something else is when its shown to be alive and reacting. This is placed in the film at the same time as we see her enjoying herself at a party, being playful and jumping around; the exact opposite of the Rhoda we see for the rest of the movie. Rhoda’s fascination with this moving image could also be linked to things outside of her environment, potentially because of its possibilities are endless, unlike her own.
This can also be related to the conversation herself and John have of the competition of winning a spot in a spaceship to get to ‘Earth 2’. Rhoda’s wish to go into outer space, into the unknown, is exactly for the purpose of the endlessness of it; the unknown, of something other, something else besides her stifling guilt that keeps her grounded. Of finding something else, and perhaps because of the sheer carelessness of her own body, when John explains she could die out there, her response is she still wants to go, regardless of the consequences to her self.
This want to go to outer space could be seen as a distraction of Rhoda to her guilt, of something to look forward to. This ‘distraction technique’ is presented by her monologue of the Russian Astronaut to John, thus distracting him from his migraine. In this instance, her story, presenting the true mediative state of imaginary music to help overcome the distracting and soul destroying noise in the astronauts’ isolation shuttle, is seen as a good thing for John. This technique for Rhoda, though, in theory a refreshing idea, is not good for the long run. And so, its shortness of relief is thus better for something more trivial, such as a headache.
Even though it is a fleetingly great thing because this story gets John out of his head, this would not work for Rhoda.
But eventually, John helps Rhoda get out of hers, by the use of his own music.
The use of an object, a saw, and a violin bow, John constructs a strange but wonderful musical score, with Rhoda being centre stage to marvel this beauty.
The presentation of using a household object projects what Rhoda might see in herself; she is only good for basic functions, hence why her job is cleaning. However, John makes this object play beautiful and haunting sounds, portraying its uniqueness. This doesn’t present the theory that John is the answer to her fulfilment or happiness, but rather the idea that not everyone sees the same thing, reacts the same, feels the same. In this instance, the realisation that Rhoda is more than this is emphasised by various things from this moment in the movie onwards, such as her taste in clothing and her confidence in what she says and what she does. She hasn’t found her purpose, but her feet are more grounded in who she is.
Another scene that stands out is when Rhoda finally tells John her story of why she was there. Of what she has done four years prior. What was interesting was her reaction and expression. From desperation to anger, Rhoda realises the sudden change of how fleeting this potential happiness is, and how it can be so easily broken. From John’s understandable reactions, a few things come to light. Rhoda needs to find happiness from herself by herself; no outside influence can have a massive impact. And secondly, when asked to leave, Rhoda slinks into the darkness of an open hallway, signifying an almost demonic closure. In this instance, Rhoda has now become John’s villain. Throughout the story, before this moment, Rhoda was her own worst enemy. And now, she is someone else’s — she has replaced this feeling, this external label into someone else’s sphere. From that moment on, Rhoda walks onward and starts showing signs of caring for herself because of the act of embracing and accepting her own demons, her other self, her unwanted alternative reality.
The examples of the story of the Russian astronaut and the moving picture of Jupiter show the want of distraction, the need of an alternative reality. It is the unknown quality that scares us and fascinates us. Would you venture into the unknown? What if it came to you?
The day Rhoda finds relief, solstice and contentment in helping John, she walks home in the fog to find herself literally standing there. There is no indication for the last scene how far away ‘Earth 2’ is in the sky. This in itself shows that the literal presence is no longer needed as a visual metaphor. It is in this instance that Rhoda meets herself head on, in control and finally able to adjust herself in her own reality.
From her want of some solstice in her own demons, to distract herself in her work, and in her story telling, she finds outside influence, of others, to help her realise that she is not some shell of a person; by growing up and finding the courage to set out what she wanted to do at the start, she goes one step further and goes back to John. He strangles her in anger, then lets her go because he knows that is not the answer to his helplessness. Rhoda then speaks about alternative realities, how her discovery within herself from the viewer’s point of view, is literally shown within ‘Earth 2’. She gives John some hope in seeing his lost family. She leaves her ticket for him to take, understanding her intentions are for the ‘greater good’. Her selfless act makes her grasp her Doppelgänger, in her head, that demon of unconsciousness, and stifle it into submission. She has won. And now, like life is forever moving on, Rhoda must too; with the literal Doppelgänger at her doorstep.
This is the written script for the podcast Two Takes. The decision to put the script online is for those hard of hearing. And for those who like to read.
If you prefer to listen, go to https://anchor.fm/twotakespodcast for the newest episode.
These words are copyrighted to Two Takes Podcast.
TwoTakes 