People experiencing grief oftentimes feel as if they would do anything to have their loved one back, if only for a short time. This theme has a long, long history in the genre of horror from “The Monkey’s Paw” all the way up to Pet Sematary. and with Meanwhile On Earth Jeremy Clapin puts a sci fi twist on this time honored concept.
Elsa Martens is struggling to deal with the disappearance of her brother Franck, an astronaut who went missing during a spacewalk. One night, Elsa is apparently contacted by her brother via a voice in her head, and she soon finds herself in a terrifying Faustian ordeal with the promise of her brothers return dangled in front of her as the reward for helping…something get into this world.
This is a classic “morality under duress” premise, like Hellraiser but not selfish and horny. While this is undeniably a sci fi film, the more fantastic elements are kept to a minimum and only serve to highlight this theme of “what would you do to get the person you loved back?” In Clapin’s vision, the aliens haunting Elsa are barely there, and yet they loom over the entire film. It’s a masterful use of an otherworldly theme in an otherwise wholly grounded film.
Megan Northam as Elsa does almost all the heavy lifting in this movie, bringing us someone who is deeply hurting from losing their brother. Northam’s depiction of grief is entirely believable, and this delivers an almost entirely sympathetic character. Even the undeniably awful elements of Elsa’s character are cut with Northam highlighting the theme of someone knowing they’re doing something wrong but being unable to help themselves because they think they’re doing it for the right reasons. Her attempt to not let her victim’s humanity stop her from going through with her plans is emotionally devastating to watch, and even though we’re seeing her do something awful, this element of her character keeps her sympathetic to the audience.
IF you’re expecting a full-blown alien movie, don’t watch this movie because you’ll be disappointed. If you want a story that’s not just about grief and trauma but also on the complex nature of healing, you’ll love it. It’s a slow burn, ambling tale about the rocky road back to peace and all the horrors we might encounter along the way. Oh, and the dog doesn’t die.
