I Origins

"I Orgins" w/Michael Pitt (of my beloved Hedwig & the Angry Inch" & the uber talented Brit Marling & a gorgeous French girl, whose name I can't recall at the moment & I've not seen her before in a movie. I love this film! I should have bought the DVD, instead of just renting it to watch again. it's thoroughly engaging, thoughtful, provocative, well acted. great script, great premise, I've never seen this particular plot before, which is RARE!! almost everything these days is a remake, a re-boot, a regurgitation of former work. even films that people have NO clue that are remakes, ARE remakes, unknown or forgotten films from the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, on & on. a lot of the former works being ruined for viewers in the know, or of super popular films, 'cause the re-done film eclipses them or leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, so to speak. it's so disheartening. a huge pet peeve of mine is remaking 4 star (or 5 star on here) films. u DON'T DO IT!! that's absolutely the dumbest idea ever! u can't improve upon perfection! the remake of "psycho"...what was even the POINT of that? I have no clue. remake the film by copying the original VERBATIM! wth? if ur gonna do that, why not just play the original in a theater & film it in a high quality way & re-release it. makes as much sense as their stupid idea, right? just don't do it! sheesh! like an "ocean's 11" type deal is fine. ur copying/updating a so-so original & ur doing it w/fun & a funny take on it. tongue in cheek. there u go. as i was saying....I know there are tons of original ideas, scripts, stories out there (I have 1 (in a book i'm writing), in fact many, myself), but they are mostly untapped for whatever reason? the "sure thing" of a regurgitation, a remake, of course! money in the bank! "hey, if it sold once, it will sell again! right?" a big hit=another big hit! like all of the sampled songs. take ANY formerly popular song & then rap over it, or add some other element & voila! u have another hit! also, aren't most creative endeavors, i.e. studios, production companies, in this case, helmed by business men, not creators? the bottom line. facts & figures, not creation or art. so, there u go w/that I suppose. oh, lest I forget, i'm a big fan anyway of mike cahill & brit marling, the writers/co-writers of this story & also "another earth", another fav of mine, created by this pair as well, & others too! other films, I mean. "another earth" is another inventive, unusual (in that it's not some old topic matter seen a million times),provocative, thoughtful, great film. so yeah, long story short, this is a fab film & check out cahill & brit's other works, together or separate, I also saw her in another fantastic film: "arbitration", & others, not involving cahill, here i'm focused on their partnership & what a fan I am of it. cheers :)

I chose this movie for a 2-hour flight, to accompany my best friend to see family. He's not a very good flyer, and I wanted a movie to keep his attention. I’ve seen it before, but he hasn’t and this film must be watched with a keen eye, in order not to miss any little details and nuances, as all the pieces fit in a sequence enhancing this dreamy storyline. Although this movie’s plot begins scientifically based, it will make you think twice about an afterlife, challenging your belief system and recalling times you’ve had déjà vu in foreign places. It will elevate and open your mind on your stance of reincarnation, including spirituality. This creation is so profound and unique, unraveling the tightly woven minds of skeptics through colorful storytelling, that it almost feels biographical. I had chills up and down my spine, arms and legs (even more so, watching for the second time) opening my heart even wider, because I'm always the perpetual protagonist doused in faith. Furthermore, you can’t take your eyes off the screen, the cinematography is exquisite. It was produced so delicately, beautifully cast, and you will be immersed from start to finish in its magical fluidity; intending to reach your core of emotions. It does its job combining science, religion, and thought-provoking immortality (pertaining to eternal life) out ruling any competitiveness. I can go on and on about how much I loved 'I Origins', but I won't give too much away, it's important to experience for yourself. There are post credit scenes so don’t miss it. I assure you; the climax will not be inadequate. One of my all-time favorite films. A must watch for all movie lovers that want to escape for a couple of hours into another sphere. My friend was so captivated by it, he forgot he was on an airplane. We wholeheartedly recommend.

When I first encountered Mike Cahill's trippy meditation on love, loss, and the possibility of our souls living on past our bodies, I was intrigued. Upon re-watching, I would say intrigued has become impressed. What I had remembered was that the film seemed to use a very Sci-Fi premise -- that our eyes' Irises contain the code, or key to our living souls -- to tell a very intimate story. Bio-tech researcher Ian Gray (Michael Pitt) working in NYC meets and falls in love with an elusive, butterfly-esque French woman (sounds a bit cliche, but go with it) and then loses her almost as quickly in a spectacularly horrific accident. The almost unreal heights of his passion translate to equally hard to swallow grief, but again, this doesn't kick us out of the story, thanks to Cahill's skilled story-telling. Upon re-watching, I would say the Sci-Fi component is far more toned-down than I remembered, and the love-and-loss tone poem is really fore-grounded. Much to the film's benefit. In order to work through his almost other-worldly grief, Pitt doubles down on his research, aided by Karen (played by the wonderful, and wonderfully-talented Brit Marling) and stumbles upon a remarkable discovery: it is possible that the key to an immortality of sorts is hidden in the Iris of every human being. Apparently, the Iris is the most unique expression of an individual short of their DNA, and Ian and Karen end up positing that after one person's body dies, their Iris can re-appear in another - and that that person will bear a remarkable resemblance (personality and spirit-wise) to the original. Whether you buy this rather outlandish premise is somewhat unimportant, because the way it plays out in the last reel of the film is pitch perfect. It would be a spoiler to say whether Karen and Ian are able to prove their Thesis, but the path that takes them to their conclusion is lovely, touching and seemingly ready-made for this Indie "Sci Fi" film. Definitely worth a watch of you like this genre, or even if you don't. Because, well, Brit Marling.

Yes, it is the movie about reincarnations, but not about the origin. The origin of our existence is far beyond that. Why they named it I Origin one can only guess. The creators of this marvelous movie are playing with contradiction of scientific and metaphysical (or spiritual) perception in the movie as a whole, but some scenes in it are more detailed about the supporting evidence. While the science is building its case on constantly developing knowledge based on our perception by five senses at the present moment in the history, true spiritual researchers and travelers go beyond that. They go beyond the time, space and physical reality. The current state of our knowledge that physical reality compared to ultimate reality might be just an illusion. Sofi's argument with Ian in the lab touches on that when she talks about some people having sixth sense. She points at the worms, living beings in Ian's tanks having only two senses as perhaps expressing comparison to our limited thinking. Let's just remind everyone that the science was not that long ago telling us that Earth was flat. Of course we all are happy and thankful to the science for a lot and that science has also its argument that nothing metaphysical or spiritual was ever proven. The main protagonist Ian's doubts about his scientific knowing are slowly building to the moment of the truth when Salomina is facing the elevator which cut her legs and killed her in her previous life being fallen in love with him. Many New Agers believe that reincarnations are being proven by comparing physical signs, whether they are irises in the eyes or some kind of the scars on the body. There are more important aspects than that, like mutual love and other emotional and spiritual connections beyond human senses. The culminating scene in the front of the elevator is brilliant. Salomina' s fear was just the step or tool to the true recognition. And following spark of love between them created no doubt in Ian's mind that he met Sofi again being in another human body. And that is why this movie is so great, not the elevator, but love enabled that. The elevator was just the trigger. Experienced metaphysical travelers (or meditators, choose which one you like) being in the highest state of mind (samadhi, satori, ultimate bliss, Elohim field, being with God, again choose which one you like) know that there in that state are no human senses, only feelings of love and awareness of the ultimate reality.

When a film is followed by animated discussion, one can say it has been provocatively successful, as is the case with I Origins. The underlying theme is familiar--rational thinking vs. spirit and a supreme power; it is reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's thesis that miracles and unexpected occurrences definitely can occur, because the range of variables and environments that scientists are able to observe is always necessarily limited. The film was done on a limited budget, so a few flaws are understandable. Most disconcerting is that the voices should have been captured well by high-quality directional mics handled by a skilled audio crew, but were not. This resulted in a lack of clarity because the brightness of mid-range and upper mid-range frequencies was lost. Consequently, it is difficult to understand some of the dialog. There are also loose ends in the plot that raise their own questions--for example, the apparent tie between the protagonists' baby's eyes to a black farming family in the Midwest isn't sufficiently developed. Still, eyes represent a fascinating setting for developing the plot and underlying argument. So five stars for originality. I Origins is well worth seeing.

If I could give this movie a 10 star, I would do it! It is one of the very few movies that has stayed with me long after watching it that I intend to watch it over and again. I recommend that everyone should watch it. You know the saying that "the eyes are the window to the soul"; well, this movie takes that and beautifully expands on it. Without giving away details, the movie does an excellent job of asking us as humans to explore the crossroad of science, spiritualism, reincarnation, rebirth, coincidence, loss, grief, love, faith, etc. Things aren't just what we see, there is so much more than meets the eyes. Once again, the depth in which the movie explores all these intersections of humanity is beautiful! I intend to watch this movie again this week just to pay attention to whatever I may have missed the previous times.

Saw this 11 years ago I think. Came upon it again and watched it again 11 years later and it's as good now or maybe better this time. Maybe because I've suffered a close loss in that time and it hits home that much more than the first time around. But either way, this movie, story, actors/acting, is precious top to bottom and all the way through.

So, a lot of my friends highly recommended this movie. Saying that it was "awesome, intellectual, thought-provoking," while it definitely was thought-provoking, it was straight-up boring. It was very much anti-climactic, and the ending was so average and kind of terrible. Honestly, I am no movie critic thats for sure, but I think they could have done so much better for this movie because the concept is (or was) REALLY COOL.

I have been awaiting the availability of the DVD for many months. I feel "lucky" to have obtained it as I had noticed the movie is essentially distributed in Blu-ray format only. This movie is original in its concept, story and delivery and am amazed in its achievement to hold it all together. For understanding my feeling for it, I find this indie movie to be the "Primer" of 2014. Every single participant in the production of this outstanding gem merits recognition. I will keep a close watch for and look forward to the next Mike Cahill production. This movie is a must see.

Any movie where Brit Marling is cast is usually the business as far as good viewing is concerned. In fact the great lady plays her part here to perfection as do Michael Pitt and Astrid Berges-Frisbey but there are one or two inconsistencies that rather spoiled the movie for me. Perhaps not enough deliberation and consideration had been given in an essential passage of the film. It was though the scenes in question had been rushed, devoid of a more acceptable scenario the movie deserved. I have learnt over the years not to give too much information in the context my reviews that could be contemplated as spoiler(s) Consequently it is difficult to add more without revealing the relevant part of the film I consider to be somewhat contentious. I feel a bit mean giving the movie 3 stars as those who play the lead roles alone deserve more.

La descripción ponía claramente que traía audio en Español, y no es el caso (solo inglés y alemán). Un engaño.

A note about the dvd first: Although this film had a cinema release in the UK, it's never had a dvd one. I don't know why. It has had a dvd release though in other countries. Thus this edition is the Spanish version, which the seller has imported from there. Therefore the writing on the box and the disc label is in Spanish. However: It's a region two dvd. So it will work on UK dvd players. And once loaded, it's all in English anyway. Spanish is one of the language and subtitle options. But play it without going to set up, and it will be in English. The film: The team behind the low budget science fiction movie 'Another Earth' return with a science/spirituality film. The evolution v creation debate has often focused [as it were] on the eye. Some claiming something so complex could only have been created. Some claiming otherwise. Ian Gray [Michael Pitt] is a brilliant scientist working on a project to prove the latter. He meets his science match there in the shape of Karen [Brit Marling] a fiercely intelligent lady. Then he also meets Sofi. A free spirited spiritual lady with beliefs in the kind of things that go against Ian's very nature. But opposites attract. And they fall for each other. When tragedy strikes [not a spoiler. It's in the trailer and the film description] he moves on with life and his work. But then he discovers something that goes against all his beliefs. But if it's right, it might mean a way to reconnect with lost love.... There's a key question at the heart of I Origins. Which is: what would you do if you discovered something that seemed to show that your entire belief system was wrong? That's a question many would simply refuse to consider. But if you're prepared to think about it, then this film does become a fascinating and absorbing and thought provoking watch. It's not an easy one at times because Ian is a very self absorbed individual, so he's not the most sympathetic person. But Karen is great. Intelligent, sharp, and very tolerant. The directing does try to create a certain style, and this works quite well. Particularly in the way the visuals sometimes combine with the excellent score. The narrative is perhaps a bit too linear at times in the way it moves things along. But it does know what's it doing. Leading to a pretty memorable ending. An interesting and watchable film that, if you give it a chance, will stick in the mind for a while after. Worth a look. And do keep watching to the very end of the credits, because there's an extra scene there. This is the last kind of film you'd expect to do that, it not being a big budget superhero franchise film. But it's there. So don't miss it. The disc begins with a trailer, which can be skipped via the next button on the dvd remote. Languages and subtitle options are: Languages: English, Castilian Spanish. Subtitles: English, Castilian Spanish. Extras: A window to the Soul. The origins of connectedness. Two short promotional featurettes. Both run no more than a couple of minutes, and are the usual kind of thing with cast explaining the film along with clips. Watchable but a bit too brief. The cinema trailer for the movie. And a stills gallery.

Buen estado