A film where the transcendence of love brings science and mysticism together into a beautiful and interesting merging – that would be my single line description of I Origins.
I Origins was one of those films that underwent a few weeks of screenings with a rather underwhelming response by the audience, following the unavoidable fate of many interesting and unusual films.
I believe part of the reason why it flopped at the box office is because it simultaneously deals with both spiritual and scientific concepts that many people seem to be very resistant towards. Many people do not like having their established beliefs challenged because it makes them uncomfortable, providing an interesting meta-comment about this aspect of humanity, given that this is the main theme that the film explores and expands on.
I Origins (2014)
Director: Mike Cahill
Ian Grey is a doctoral student who dedicates his PhD research to investigate the evolution of the human eye. His interest started early, and one of Ian’s life-long hobbies is taking photographs of human eyes for his ever growing collection showcasing the amazing variability and individuality contained on the irises of each person. This is how he meets Sofi, a mysterious and nymph-like foreign young woman who is the possessor of a pair of rather unique and unusual eyes:
Sofi’s captivating eyes are the element that brings her and Ian together throughout the entire story. Despite the pure and passionate love that binds them, Ian and Sofi often argue because of their conflicting personalities. Ian is the incarnation of the stereotypical cynical scientist: he is obsessed with his research, thinks that anything related to the metaphysical is complete bullshit, disregards religion and spirituality as a foolish delusion and drily states that he only believes in data (he’s kind of a jerk as well, but I digress). Hence, the motivation behind his work is proving once and for all that the eye is not a product of intelligent design by a superior being, but a product of natural selection and Darwinian evolution.
In contrast, Sofi is a sensitive person who relies on intuition rather than hard facts, believes in concepts like reincarnation and the spiritual world and has a childlike sense of wonder and naïveté. These are all characteristics that often make Ian impatient and irritated, causing him to clash with Sofi due to their vastly different world views, which ends up having tragic consequences.
However, as he seems closer to achieve his scientific goal, Ian is confronted with a puzzling finding that will shake his beliefs to the core, causing him to re-evaluate and question everything. This finding, tied once more to Sofi’s unique eyes, could not only completely change the way he sees the world, but also the entire meaning of life as we know it.
I Origins is one of those films that are just beautiful to look at. Everything in this film is alluring and enticing: the actors, the carefully styled settings, the mesmerizing cinematography and the closer exploration of that fascinating wonder that is the human eye. Add a few touches of well-timed, captivating melodies that bring chills to your spine and the result is delightful. Take the following examples of the music complementing the key scenes in the film, for a taste of what I am referring to:
They say that what will repel most people will attract the right people, and that is definitely something that director Mike Cahill achieved with this one. He created a youthful and interesting atmosphere with a bit of an alt-rock touch, while borrowing the intellectual appeal of science and philosophy as well; this makes I Origins one of those films that pulls you into their world.
It must be noted that, despite its aesthetic appeal and enchanting scenes, I Origins also provides some particularly shocking and disturbing moments, of the kind that leave you thinking about them even long after you watched the film.
It is a flawed film, since the main premise proposed requires a big suspension of disbelief in order to get past the uncomfortable feeling of its implausibility. However, it is unusual enough to be appreciated for its originality and the story is told in an engaging way as to leave the viewer satisfied.
PREVIOUS POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
Gentlemen Broncos (Jared Hess, 2009)
La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962)
Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2014)
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Images source: IMDB