Two skies. One culture. I look up, and it’s a mirror.

A pool of water suspended in the sky. A person on a boat, looks up and gives me a wave. It’s beautiful, the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. The trip to Eureka was worth it just for this. The entire trip was worth it, just for this.

The shoes they had given me, kept my feet on the ground, but my soul is soaring, across the dual worlds.

I walk along a cobblestone path. Taking my time. I know I have to leave this place soon. If I stay too long, then it might lose it’s luster. The way people talk sounds wrong, like they are straining to seem more emotional. One guy got hit on the head and broke into a monologue. It did not hamper the beauty, yet, but I needed to go. 

Two worlds, two stories. But they are not mine.

—

This movie has many questions, many of which it never answers. But the one that burns in my mind, the one that keeps me up at night is this: How did this indie film, get that big of a budget?

$60,000,000!? Really? How the hell did that manage to swing that? Who has that kind of money to drop on a project that might not work?

Those questions I may never get answered, but this one I can: Was the money put to good use?

ANSWER: YES. Oh God, yes. This movie is like 5 GUM, it stimulates your senses. I have heard of actors chewing the scenery, but not the scenery chewing the actors. Stuff in the background is so infinitely more interesting that anything the characters are doing.

The idea behind this movie, is there exists an alternate reality, where two planets equal in biosphere, orbit around each other. Each individual person has their own gravity, and naturally gravitates towards the planet that they were born on.

Oh yeah, and there is a romance story and a lot of social satire.

You see, because this movie wants to talk about class struggle. With the “higher” planet being the upper class.

A bit on the nose symbolism, but I’ll allow it.

Only because some of the stuff the movie has to say about corporations and arbitrary social ideals are nice enough.

I have, admittedly, seen better.

Yet as a visual metaphor it still triumphs. With a lot of instances of characters looking straight up at their “betters”. Constantly visual assaulted by their wealth, with their view of heaven always sitting up there, mocking them. The same sort of thing is also done in reverse. With the rich often doing anything they can to not look down.

The movie really does boil down to those visual. Even if you can’t stand the characters, even if the satire seems to much in your face. The sheer beauty of what you can see, is worth all of it.

For you see I have a rule that I use when I am watching a cartoon, or otherwise heavily computer generated film. I call it the Cartoon Test.

The rule is: If a cartoon, or otherwise computer generated piece of media is truly great, then it can be watched with it muted; without subtitles. The animation must be able to stand up on its own merits, as a piece of art.

This movie passes that test. So I will promote it, no matter its other failings. I will sing it from the rooftops if I have too.

Or you know I could just make a post about it.

That works too, I suppose.

—

This is but one part of the grand Netflix Quest! To check out the others, click here.