Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Man From Earth (2007)

The Man From Earth isn't so much a film as it is a discourse. But while the production values are relatively cheap and unpolished, the premise is fascinating, and its exploration makes the film worth viewing. The subject is immortality, and the question is, if a person from prehistoric times had managed to survive through the ages, what would he be like today, and what would he have to say about his life?

A retiring professor admits that he is such a person, in a small company of his friends and colleagues - mostly professors - before moving on to assume his next identity, in an effort to avoid raising suspicions over his lack of aging. The film concerns itself entirely with this man's story, his colleagues' struggle to either accept or deny his outrageous, but intellectually firm, claims, and the implications of doing either.

The result is a captivating examination of an intriguing hypothetical, that brings up many basic questions about life and religion and humanity - unfortunately, to go into detail would spoil the discovery. It is a very dialogue-heavy film, focused on concepts rather than actions, but if my description has piqued your interest, then I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.

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