Film Review - Another Earth

One of the most powerful questions a piece of fiction can ask is, "What if...?" No matter how happy or unhappy we are with our lives, we all have those moments of weakness or fantasy when we wonder where our lives could have ended up, given different circumstances.
In Another Earth, our protagonist is driving when she hears the news that a second Earth, identical to ours, has suddenly appeared in the sky. In her distraction, she crashes into another car, killing a man's wife and child. On this other Earth, has the same thing happened? If not, which other path as her life taken?
This is one of those low-budget indie films that takes a high-concept blockbuster-potential idea and instead of giving us bangs and whistles, gives us a little glimpse into the human psyche. It's not as pretentious as it sounds, but is, by necessity, a bit ponderous. But that's no bad thing.
Brit Marling makes for a hugely sympathetic lead, balancing the character's sadness and regret with the right amount of positivity so that she isn't an unbearable moper, yet still carrying the weight of guilt.
The film plays itself out with a surprisingly decent level of believability, given the fantastical premise. Although I must admit the cliff-hanging ending did have me utter an expletive.