Pendant ce temps sur Terre

No pun intended - a few things I was struggling with before writing this review ... talking about the ending in a way that may give away certain things ... rating, because of the great ending (at least in my humble opinion) ... should I go at least 8? Well I may change my mind and it really is tough for me to make up my mind I reckon overall.

All that said, the lesser you know about the movie the better it probably works. One thing you should know for sure: it is a slow burn. It may get stuck in your head (sorry for the pun) ... and it is tough to imagine "what would I do?" ... because our main character is in a tough spot to say the least.

So to decide what to do ... and to "obey" because of love ... well you'll understand. What you may not understand ... or at least is not entirely clear I think: the ending. If what we know up to this point is true ... it would point to one thing ... but then again, maybe it wasn't all as it was said it is(?) ... the animation is well done and sparsely used (and that is a good thing) ... a movie for the thinking minds ... no right or wrong here ...

Elsa Martens (Megan Northam) is a young adult whose life takes on an unexpected turn after an unknown life form makes contact with her claiming to be able to bring her older brother back after his mysterious disappearance from a space mission.

Writer and director Jérémy Clapin is more interested in human dilemmas than in the usual sci-fi motives. Pendant ce temps sur Terre has a weak beginning where it is not clear where it wants to go but once it gets there its form is already recognizable.

It poses existential questions about what is the value of life and if there is truth in that there are lives worthier than others. Through Elsa, the movie explores purpose and how it can change an individual's worldview. It also gives emotional weight to longing and what constitutes the loss of a loved one.

Its cinematography blends animation with live action creating a differentiated treatment in terms of narrative and dramatic expressiveness. Pendant ce temps sur Terre is one of those movies that has memorable scenes but they are in contrast with the ones where lack of ambition renders them unextraordinary.

Astronaut Franck Martens disappeared three years ago while on a space mission. His sister, Elsa, still finds it difficult to accept the fact he simply vanished. A Statue has also been erected in Franck's honour.

Then one day Elsa is contacted by an alien, who assures her Franck is alive and safe, but they require five human bodies in order to let him go, unharmed. She is also allowed to speak to him, to confirm he is still alive. Now, Elsa has three days to find five people to lure to a specific spot in the woods where their bodies will be taken over by alien entities. Elsa decides to be selective, but when time runs out, she becomes desperate.

If you're expecting to see aliens here, you won't. We simply hear an alien voice, giving Elsa instructions. Also, don't expect to find space ships here. This is not your conventional alien movie. Very different indeed. The abrupt ending left me craving for more.

The film has many underlying themes. How do you justify four lives for one? How do you choose? 'Meanwhile on Earth' is so much more than an 'alien' movie, but the lack of aliens might disappoint some viewers.

Saw this at the Imagine 2024 film festival in Amsterdam. It is not for the SciFi elements that I rank this movie 7 out of 10, but for the human dilemmas posed. Actually, I wanted to rate 8 out of 10, but it takes too long before we reach the core of the matter. It will let people lose interest before the real issues become clear. Not good, storytelling wise.

In essence, it is about how many lives of living humans you don't know you can take, when needed in exchange for the live of one man you know (your brother) and persistently want to get back. It starts easily when someone conspiring to rape our main protagonist Elsa, becomes the first candidate to be sacrificed in the race to obtain 5 living persons to trade for her brother lost in space. (Elsa severely damaged the attempting rapist with a chainsaw, rendering him unusable to host an alien.)

The next 3 are elderly people from the nursing home where Elsa works, most of them demented, so in some way a defendable act as a humane way out. So far so good. However, still three hours from the deadline, Elsa lets a man go who she picked up from the street (pushing a defective motorbike; offering to bring him home). While underway, the man spoke enthusiastically about his plans to open a restaurant, obviously a potentially useful member of society. It is a merciful thing to do, despite the narrow timeline for rescuing her brother...

The only SciFi involved is the sparse communications Elsa has with her brother in space, and with the five aliens around him. And related visuals showing where the brother is now. The brother seems genuine, as he tells a story out of their common past that only they know. The transfer of all five aliens is a prerequisite for bringing her brother back to earth, hence the chase for five humans to sacrifice, to be used as carrier for the aliens.

All in all, the slow burn may annoy some people, in addition to the fact that hardly any SciFi is involved in a story announced about a man lost in space. That raises expectations this movie won't satisfy. It takes some patience and some time, like what happened to me, to find out where it is all about.

One actress here and very good she is too at expressing emotion; great presence

Great landscapes. But the storyline .... dear this goes nowhere there are clever little bits the little bro the seed in her ear to communicate with the aliens all nice

But no ending .... like a river which dries and disappears in sands

When you tell a story you need a story and often these days there is not. All is done well elegantly but without a complete story you have nowt and frankly no one will remember this one i will not

I gave it it a 4 could have given it a 6 maybe for the originality contained here but i felt cheated at the end as in what happened .... it could not be completed .....

Watch it tho if only for the acting.