POST-STRUCTURALISM IN ANOTHER EARTH
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Running Head: POST-STRUCTURALISM IN ANOTHER EARTH
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POST-STRUCTURALISM IN ANOTHER EARTH
Post-structuralism in Another Earth: A critical film analysis of a
“writerly text” that challenges dominant ideologies
Another Earth, a unique and original story with stylistic traits that portray the classic drama genre, but embeds itself into a larger science-fiction concept which seems purely intentional as an element for symbolism and metaphor. Combining the genre of drama with science-fiction, writer and director Mike Cahill creates a beautiful work of art that in many ways reflects and reinforces particular aspects of post-structuralists theories and beliefs, while challenging and critiquing the assumptions and comprehensive visions generated from the dominant ideologies. In Another Earth, writer and director Mike Cahill, along with co-writer and lead actress Brit Marling, both reject the idea that Another Earth was written in order to generate a single purpose, or written to express a single meaning with a fixed idea. In an interview with Mike Cahill, he directly states that Another Earth is “not a didactic message movie… It is meant to carry across and evoke an emotion, whatever that feeling or emotion might be”. Cahill goes on to say that even though he and co-writer Brit Marling did actually come up with their own meaning for the intriguing and thought-provoking ending, that particular idea has never and will never be revealed because Cahill claims that the unknowingness and uncertainty has “opened the door to a wider interpretation, which is more important, as a filmmaker, to see the audiences make their own meaning instead of trying to follow that preconceived notion of what it personally meant to me”. Cahill clearly emphasizes the importance of the spectator for his film
Another Earth, categorizing itself as an open-for-interpretation piece of “writerly text," that
Running Head: POST-STRUCTURALISM IN ANOTHER EARTH
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
2
POST-STRUCTURALISM IN ANOTHER EARTH
Post-structuralism in Another Earth: A critical film analysis of a
“writerly text” that challenges dominant ideologies
Another Earth, a unique and original story with stylistic traits that portray the classic drama genre, but embeds itself into a larger science-fiction concept which seems purely intentional as an element for symbolism and metaphor. Combining the genre of drama with science-fiction, writer and director Mike Cahill creates a beautiful work of art that in many ways reflects and reinforces particular aspects of post-structuralists theories and beliefs, while challenging and critiquing the assumptions and comprehensive visions generated from the dominant ideologies. In Another Earth, writer and director Mike Cahill, along with co-writer and lead actress Brit Marling, both reject the idea that Another Earth was written in order to generate a single purpose, or written to express a single meaning with a fixed idea. In an interview with Mike Cahill, he directly states that Another Earth is “not a didactic message movie… It is meant to carry across and evoke an emotion, whatever that feeling or emotion might be”. Cahill goes on to say that even though he and co-writer Brit Marling did actually come up with their own meaning for the intriguing and thought-provoking ending, that particular idea has never and will never be revealed because Cahill claims that the unknowingness and uncertainty has “opened the door to a wider interpretation, which is more important, as a filmmaker, to see the audiences make their own meaning instead of trying to follow that preconceived notion of what it personally meant to me”. Cahill clearly emphasizes the importance of the spectator for his film
Another Earth, categorizing itself as an open-for-interpretation piece of “writerly text," that