I Origins | Film review - Intriguing sci-fi mystery casts an eye on science and spirituality

By Jason Best
( What's on TV )
published

I Origins Michael Pitt Astrid Bergès-Frisbey .jpg

Can science and spirituality ever come together? That’s the thorny question at the heart of intriguing sci-fi mystery I Origins.

Sceptical scientist Michael Pitt falls in love with spacey new age model Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, attracted by her dazzling dichromatic eyes. Eyes for him are an evolutionary puzzle to be solved; for her they are windows to the soul. With Pitt’s earnest lab partner Brit Marling drawn into the debate, the tussle between rationalism and mysticism takes turns that are both unexpected and thought provoking.

Boosted by engaging performances and luminous photography, indie writer-director Mike Cahill’s movie works beautifully both as an intellectual detective story and a beguiling romance.

Certificate 15. Runtime 107 mins. Director Mike Cahill

I Origins is showing on Sky Movies Premiere and is available on Amazon Instant Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPuoWzLjhFo

Jason Best
Jason Best

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.