Directed by:
Mike CahillScreenplay:
Mike CahillCinematography:
Markus FördererCast:
Michael Pitt, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Brit Marling, Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi, Cara Seymour, William Mapother, Charles W. Gray, Rhonda Ayers (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
I ORIGINS, the second feature film from writer and director Mike Cahill, tells the story of Dr. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt), a molecular biologist studying the evolution of the eye. He finds his work permeating his life after a brief encounter with an exotic young woman (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) who slips away from him. As his research continues years later with his lab partner Karen (Brit Marling), they make a stunning scientific discovery that has far reaching implications and complicates both his scientific and spiritual beliefs. Traveling half way around the world, he risks everything he has ever known to validate his theory. (Fox Searchlight Pictures US)
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Reviews (11)
I wasn’t expecting that much of a surprise. This is an absolute hit that is well filmed, well-acted and excellently written. The dialogues are realistic, the characters fully believable and the story, the main motif of which is the clash of materialistic and spiritual thinking, almost shocks with its thoughtfulness and intelligence. The charming and touching plot is actually simple, but it is done with surgical precision. It is a pity that the trailer reveals three-quarters of the film, as the plot is not very predictable and the film manages to keep its focus up to the halfway point (a similar theme was looked at perfectly, for example, in The Cloud Atlas). Definitely wait for the full ending after the closing credits; otherwise, you will miss the cute point.
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A smart, formally captivating, and unobtrusive film that is thematically so unusual that it will hold your attention despite some script crutches and shortcuts – especially towards the end of the performance. At the same time, it has a minimalist and indie low-budget feel, which only adds to its advantage, and a few suggestive scenes that definitely deserve attention (especially the elevator scene). More questions than answers, that's what a smart sci-fi viewer often expects and that's what they get here. It's a shame about the clichéd, but nicely groomed ending.
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Lately, there have been quite a few interesting sci-fi films that don't rely so much on how flashy and effects-driven sci-fi can be but rather focus on ideas. In this case, the idea does exist, but I felt like the creators took too long to get to it; too much water had passed under the bridge before they addressed it. Unfortunately, the ending is more emotional than anything else and isn't quite gripping for me.
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Undoubtedly an original theme and adaptation, but here and there Cahill commits punishable missteps (led by the final "pedophile" ten minutes "I need to close the past, so come with me to my room to collect strawberries, my ex love". Are they sure it could not be eighteen years later and instead of eight?), but they have nothing to do with whether it is on a (rational) scientific/spiritual level, because in both of them it is interesting, though not always well presented to the viewer.
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(49th KVIFF) This sci-fi movie is so non-conflicting that it’s almost unsuited for the festival. It’s the story of a molecular biologists whose research proofs the ungodly origin of the human eye, so that further research can then challenge this finding. The film doesn’t demand much from the viewer, never falls into a scientific rant or into deep philosophical speeches, even though it does have room for that. It’s well made, the story is interesting overall, even though it feels a bit too implausible and naive at times (for instance, the Indian woman who identifies a girl by a photo of an eye, even though she says she hasn’t seen her for several months). That said, in the middle of the bustle of the festival, I Origins felt like a pleasant rest and I was excited immediately after the screening, though the feeling fizzled out after some time. And yet, a nice four-star rating, the ending is very strong emotionally.
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