I Origins (2014)
Directed by Mike Cahill
A molecular biologist's study of the human eye has far-reaching implications about humanity's scientific and spiritual beliefs.
25 connections found
View:
25 films that influenced I Origins
What critics say influenced I Origins
Mike Cahill , the writer/director of “ Another Earth ” and “I Origins,” is fascinated with where these seemingly diametrically opposed viewpoints conflict or, more interestingly, intersect.
2011, the year of actress Brit Marling, also introduced the world of cinema to two promising filmmakers: “The Sound Of My Voice” director Zal Batmanglij and “Another Earth” filmmaker Mike Cahill.
In his follow-up to 2011’s Another Earth, writer/director Cahill shows that he’s still grappling with the same themes and pseudoscientific inquiries.
"I Origins" marks the second movie from Cahill, whose first sci-fi feature "Another Earth" marked the debut of a fresh, original voice in the now-CGI-stuffed genre.
Molecular biologist Ian Gray (Michael Pitt, "Last Days," "Rob the Mob") is studying the eye in an effort to refute those who believe that its unique complexity cannot be explained by evolution, but it is his new research assistant, Karen (Brit Marling, "Another Earth"), who comes up with the idea of finding a sightless creature with the PAX6 gene necessary for eye development.
The writer-director is Mike Cahill, whose breakthrough feature, 2011’s “Another Earth” — written with and starring Marling — was a similar (and stronger) mix of pseudo-science and poetry.
American films like “Audrey Rose” (1977), from a script and before that a novel by Frank De Felitta, tackled reincarnation themes but within the format of extreme melodrama bordering on horror.
This thriller is like a spiritual cousin to Kathryn Bigelow’s “Strange Days” and maybe Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “The Double Life of Veronique.”
This thriller is like a spiritual cousin to Kathryn Bigelow’s “Strange Days” and maybe Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “The Double Life of Veronique.”
Advertisement
“I Was a Teenage Werewolf” (1957) really was a “challenging drama of today’s teenage violence,” but that slogan was reserved for a prestige picture, “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Way back in 1999, as some moviegoers will recall, M. Night Shyamalan directed "The Sixth Sense," an effective drama with a twist that left a lot of people, including this reviewer, completely off guard.
The heavy-handed vintage rejoinder (see “The Invisible Man,” 1933) lands with a thud.
Even avant-garde auteurs such as Alejandro Jodorowsky ("El Topo," "Jodorowsky's Dune") and Leos Carax ("Holy Motors") have methods for their madness.
Advertisement
It’s a mark of Cahill’s improving command of pace that his first hour feels comparable to David Cronenberg’s ominously romantic remake of The Fly (1986), with a killer turning point involving a massive research breakthrough and a tragedy on the same day as Ian and Sofi’s wedding.
It’s a marvel of restraint and perfectly judged for the material that will likely endear itself to audiences that found Upstream Color’s DNA dalliances too kooky as well as those who enjoy the more human-oriented sci-fi of Contact.