First of all, I don't think it is a pessimistic ending.
As for the ending of the film, the screenwriter has hinted in the two plots of the film. The first one is a passage from Keith Harding, the boss of the US space joint venture, and the heroine Rhoda on the phone:
Hi. It's Keith Harding. I got your letter . I was very moved by it. You know, when I was 15, my headmaster said to me- he said, uh, "Harding, yo'll either go to prison or be a millionaire." Yeah, well' I'm ... I'm grateful it was the latter. But, uh, it's a fine line. And finer than you would think.
Translation: Hello, I’m Keith Harding, I received your letter, it’s very touching. You know, when I was 15 years old, my head teacher said to me, he said, "Well, Harding, if you are not a criminal in the future, you will be a millionaire." Well, well, thank God, I became the latter. However, the difference between the two is subtle, more subtle than you think.
The second paragraph is the theory of Dr. Richard Berendzen, an astrophysicist and founder of the mirror image theory on TV:
In the grand history of the cosmos, more than 13,000 million years old, our Earth is replicated elsewhere. But maybe there's another way of seeing this world. If any small variation arises... they look this way you look that way... suddeny maybe everything changes, and now you begin to wonder, what else is different? Or one might say that .. You have an exact mirror image which suddenly is shattered, and there's a new reality. And there in lies the opportunity .. And the mystery. What else? What new? What now?
Translation: The vast history of the universe, for more than 13 billion years, our earth has been copied in another place, but maybe we look at the world in another way, once two There have been any small changes between the planets... They look here, you look there, maybe in an instant, everything has changed, so you start to think: Is there anything different? Perhaps someone would say... Your original image in the mirror was suddenly shattered, and then a new reality appeared. There are both opportunities and mysterious unknowns. What else? What's new? What's the situation now?
The above two movie plots have already explained the ending: the symmetry is broken, and the two people have completely different lives.
At the end of the film, the father of Earth 1 went to Earth 2, and Rhoda of Earth 2 came to Earth 1, proving that this symmetry has been broken and Dr. Richard Berendzen's theory is correct. The difference between criminals and millionaires mentioned by Keith Harding is actually very small. It also indicates what the ending director wants to convey. The Rhoda in the black coat standing opposite the Rhoda of Earth 1 already has a completely different fate. Perhaps it was a difference of thought four years ago, when one Rhoda became a criminal and had a poor life; while the other Rhoda successfully finished MIT and had an enviable life.
So I believe the ending is like this. When my father arrived on Earth 2, he saw that his wife was still there, and his children were also growing up healthily. Of course, there was another happy self, which he felt full enough. Sometimes people are sentimental and unacceptable. That person has disappeared in this world. You can't have any intersection with him, but the father sees his wife and children alive, and sees that they can live happily, even if they no longer belong to him. Known enough, you can also let go of the hatred of Rhoda.
Such travel will certainly not last a lifetime. There are still so many restrictions on cross-border travel on the earth. Wouldn’t it be a mess if the two earths were sent to each other without a regulatory system? Therefore, the male protagonist will definitely return to Earth 1 after a period of time, but at this time he has put down his psychological burden and can start a brand new life. And because of the continuous development of technology, he may be able to occasionally talk to Earth 2’s wife and children on the phone and email himself. Become friends with them and another self.
As for Rhoda, the purpose she wanted to go to Earth 2 earlier, and the thoughts she might have when she saw another herself, has also been explained in a section of the film-Rhoda got the news of going to Earth 2 in an inner monologue: "We His life is full of surprises. The creatures that biologists can see are getting smaller and smaller, and the astronomers look farther and farther, into the black night sky, into time, into the universe. But perhaps the miracle among miracles, It’s not that tiny, it’s not that huge. It’s our own, close in front of us, can we recognize ourselves? Even if we can, will we understand ourselves? What will we say to ourselves? We will be able to learn from What have we learned from ourselves? If we could get out of our body and look at ourselves, what would we say to ourselves?"
This monologue is exactly what the two Rhoda thoughts when they looked at each other at the end of the film.
Rhoda is a girl who loves astronomy, kindness, and intelligence. Whether on Earth 1 or Earth 2, whether she is a former criminal or a graduate of a prestigious university, she has the motivation and ability to get the opportunity to go to another earth. No matter which earth Rhoda goes to another planet, as long as he meets himself, he will fulfill his wish. ——Stand outside of yourself and examine yourself.
Keep calm in good times, and don’t indulge in past regrets and failures in adversity. Keep a peaceful heart, live in the present, enjoy the present, and have confidence in the future. Perhaps Rhoda can learn something from another self. .
View more about Another Earth reviews
