The Earth Mover

Beautiful, poignant, and unpretentious. I saw this screened as part of a festival, and can't keep my mind from revisiting it. The narration (which I could have sworn was voiced by Tom Cruise, but I found out it was actually the actor/director) sets a pace that is nearly hypnotic and complements the visual storytelling.

The film has a western vibe to it, with a story that is simple on its face. It follows a lone character performing a physical task, against a natural landscape. But nature is not just a backdrop here: there is a reverence to the beauty and harshness of the environment, and at times it feels like it becomes a character in itself.

This film is a poignant metaphor of the creative process. It captures all the emotions that artists (especially writers) encounter when creating something from nothing.

The main character is a prospector, digging for something - what exactly, he's not quite sure. In an intimate voiceover, the prospector talks about chasing a "whisper" of an idea, and pulling on "a ghost of a thread" to pursue the development of that idea.

The prospector digs relentlessly through heat, cold, rain, and darkness in an exhausting effort to find the proverbial eureka moment where that idea seed finds it's roots and becomes what it was meant to be.

The story's message will be deeply felt by anyone who has created art, and its insights can be used as motivation to keep creating. Highly recommend.

I was brought to a screening of this film, and I was surprised. I wouldn't say I'm an independent film fan, I have gone to a few other festivals and they can be a bit... Intense, dramatic or just so heavy with an agenda. And often you are left drained at the end. I think that's what a lot of indie film makers think is needed to be a "good independent film".

"The Earth Mover" was fun and fancy. It was the kind of movie you want to see in a theater, because the sound is so immersive that it makes you feel connected to what the character is experiencing, like you're with him on the journey. There's a deeper meaning too, but it's never forced. I was impressed and I am going to follow the guy who made it to see what else he comes up with.

If you can find it see it!