When the another Earth appeared in the sky in Another Earth, the life of people change. Similar change occurred in Melancholia when the blue planet appeared.
Melancholia is a movie about the end of the World caused by another planet. The movie begins with a foreshadowing of a giant planet threateningly approaching Earth. The introduction ends with the collision of the planets and the film divides into two parts. In part one the young couple Justine and Michael are getting married at a castle-like home of Justin's sister. Even though its suppose to be the happiest day for Justin, she drifts away from the party and becomes sad. She keeps noticing a stat in the sky which is sinning brighter then all the rest. Michael, her husband, assures her that it is nothing but a start and the start disappears later in the film. In part two of the movie Justin becomes depressed and is sent to live with her sister and her family because she is unable to take care of herself. As the movie progresses the massive blue planet, Melancholia, becomes more visible in the sky as it approaches earth. The scientists tried to a assure the public that Earth and Melancholia will pass by each other without colliding, but in the end the two planets collided and life on Earth ended.
Many comparison can be seen between the two movies through the personality of the characters. Justin is very similar to Rhoda; who is the main character in Melancholia. In the beginning of the movie Justin appears to be happy and everything seems possible. Even though Justin did not go to jail or had something horrible happen to her like Rhoda did, her life still changed changed. In part two of the movie Justin becomes severely depressed. Justin is unable to carry out normal every day activities like taking a bath or even eating, but get better over time. Most of the change that these two characters went through in their life was caused by the appearance of a new planet.
In both movies the planets appeared unexpectedly and they resembled Earth in different ways. The new planets had a huge impact on the peoples life in both movies. After the new planets appeared, people no longer had the same life as they did before. In Melancholia people were afraid that the planes would collide so they did what they thought would be best for them. In Another Earth people were curious to see the other them on Earth two, so they put all their effort into vising the other Earth.
I have yet to watch Melancholia, but the characters of Justine and Rhoda do seem similar. What was striking to me in watching the trailer of Melancholia was when Justine was laying on the side of the hill naked. It was very similar to the scene in Another Earth where Rhoda lays in the snow naked. I particularly find it interesting to read/ see Justine drifting away from her wedding reception, becoming sad. This parallels Rhoda when she is released from prison as she remains quiet and reserved with the people around her. Both characters are very distant from their surroundings and the things happening around them. Although both characters are in the real world, they are somewhat numb to their environment. Rhoda should be happy to be back outside, but her life has been forever changed. This occurs because of that fateful night where she first notices the other Earth. I can see the likeness of the two films, and I enjoyed your perspective of how the appearances of these two planets mark the beginning of change.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your comparison. I have never seen this movie but like Deborah and you have mentioned, there seems to be a lot of similarities between Justine and Rhoda. They both experience events in their lives that are very stressful as the "other" planet first appears. Justine is frustrated and has problems with her mother, boss, and Michael, and Rhoda deals with killing John's wife and son. Both stories stem from the idea that the new planet symbolizes a disturbance in their lives, and as a result, their lives are changed forever.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Melancholia, but the comparison is a strong one. The similarities are striking. There are obviously a lot of things that both main characters go through that are somewhat unrelated to the one main situation in the movie (the other planet). It's interesting to look at the way people react to normal situations when they're slightly twisted by the external forces of the world.
ReplyDeleteI've always seen Netflix recommending me to see Melancholia but I never really had an interest until I read your comparison between it and Another Earth. The two main characters do seem to resemble each other in that which once the appearance of another planet seems to change their lives forever. Both Justin and Rhoda seem to be sad and curious by the other planet even though they do not know much about it; all they know is that it changed their lives to an extreme. Great comparison between the two works! Now I am interested in watching this movie and making small connections between Melancholia and Another Earth.
ReplyDeleteMelancholia sounds very depressing compared to Another Earth since there is no hope for the people compared to the people in the movie Another Earth. I like how you included the trailer because it helped me to see how Justine was very affected and mesmerized by the other planet like Rhoda. Comparing both their reactions of how the other planet is drawing closer is very similar. I have to admit though, based on the trailer there seems to be more supernatural things going on in this film than in Another Earth. Very nice job!
ReplyDeleteI think the movie is very creepy just like Another Earth. When I first started watching Another Earth, I had an eerie feeling and when I watched the trailer, I had that same feeling!
ReplyDeleteJust from reading the summary of the movie, I see lots of similarities between the two pieces of literature. I think in part one of the movie, Justine is like Rhoda, but in part two, from your comparison, Justine seems like John because she is depressed. That reminds of John after the coma: the state of his home and his attitude toward other people.
I think the idea of another planet seems like a postmodern idea. To me, the concept of the movie seems very similar beside the character. The only difference is the story line and how the plot plays out. Overall, I think your comparison is really interesting and your choice of work to compare Another Earth to a movie is excellent as well.
This film really shares a lot of themes with Another Earth. The concept is scary and a bit freaky and I got the same vibe from watching this trailer. I really think this movie was a good choice to compare the book with. Justine seems to be depressed and sad in the trailer just like Rhoda. It seems her wedding isn't as happy as it should be and that can be similar to Rhoda's love (the teacher - forgot his name). These types of science fiction don't only focus on that genre. The utilize more genres to tell their story. This movie seems to have a lot of drama and romance like Another Earth.
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