movie-man-bob

I don’t know how much of this blog is going to be devoted to actual movie reviews–probably less than I originally intended. But I want to talk a little about this movie because it’s a smaller one and more apt to slip through the cracks, and so I’m making it my duty to call people’s attention to it. The film is called The Man from Earth, and it was written by the late Jerome Bixby, who wrote for Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, among other things. Evidently, the screenplay sat around in an attic somewhere for quite awhile, because though Mr. Bixby died in 1998, the film wasn’t made until 2007.

The film is about a man who confesses to his friends that he is immortal–that he has lived for 14,000 years, having seen and done the things that they’ve only read about in history books. To look at the plot synopsis, and Mr. Bixby’s track record, you would think that this would be a work of science fiction. But it’s not. It’s more of a philosophical treatise. It feels more like a stage play than a movie. A single setting, and there’s very little more to the film than a group of people sitting around talking. If you’re the type that would rather have explosions and derring-do, or even a trip to the grocery store in your films, this is not the movie for you.

But me, I was raised on theater. So watching a group of people have a discussion about immortality is pretty cool. And in 90 minutes, they cover it at length. They discuss it from a philosophical, biological, historical, anthropological, psychological, and religious standpoint. And the way the man tells his story, you start to wonder, “Would immortality really be that bad?”

We think, “Oh, immortality would be horrible! Having to watch your friends, family, everyone you’ve ever known or loved die one by one…” But after 14,000 years, would you even care anymore? Would you even remember the people you’d lost? Would it still matter?

I don’t want to give away too much about the movie itself, because… then what would be the point of watching it? But if you’re into hypotheticals like this, then it’s definitely worth a look. If you have Netflix, it’s available to rent, or to view online. And if you DON’T have Netflix… Why in God’s name not?!

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