Review of The Man from Earth (2007) by Warren S — 16 Nov 2010
Like my recent review "Buried" this fantasy / magical realism film does very much with very little. It is performed almost entirely on one set, with nothing happening of particular interest--except for John Oldman's spectacularly enthralling story, and the conversation of his audience.
Some of the character writing is extremely weak, especially the dialogue of the supporting cast--it often feels forced and unnatural, more like exposition and padding than realistic conversation--but most of the actors are talented enough to make it less noticeably bad, and the concepts introduced are so fascinating in and of themselves that the viewer hardly cares how poorly they are presented. The details of how a fourteen-thousand-year-old man's behavior, personality, and memory would have to work are thought through with more passion and dedication than I have seen in any other work dealing with the premise of immortality.
More importantly, however, the movie takes a very interesting and poignant angle on religion--an angle which I can only describe in part, due to the potential for spoilers. Again, like "Buried", it does not stoop to narrating the protagonist's history in flashback; by refusing to do so, it forces the audience watching the film to take the John Oldman's epic tale in the same manner as his audience within the film.
That is, to take it on faith.
This review of The Man from Earth (2007) was written by Warren S on 16 Nov 2010.
The Man from Earth has generally received very positive reviews.
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