Written and directed by Jérémy Clapin, a 23 year-old girl is contacted by an unknown life form claiming to be able to bring her older brother safely back to Earth, who disappeared during a space mission. Starring: Megan Northam, Dimitri Doré, Sébastien Pouderoux, Catherine Salée, Sam Louwyck, Roman Williams and Sofia Lesaffre.
With I Lost My Body we got this incredibly affecting story told in an unusual, imaginative way and Jérémy Clapin is bringing a companion piece to that with Meanwhile on Earth. You can quickly feel that same charged, layered atmosphere and the solid emotional foundation to this story. Especially in how it has a strong personality right out of the gate, with a huge variety of directorial styles, including a fantastic use of animation which continues throughout the film.
Clapin makes a brilliant first impression with Meanwhile on Earth, it’s a little bit quirky in a very charming way. Which makes it slightly surprising when it eventually becomes quite dark. It really plays around with its different genres, mixing drama with sci-fi and adventure, as well as adding in a touch of horror. There was a clear potential for this to veer into body-horror territory, visually harking back to films like Titane, trying to put you on edge. Unfortunately, it’s something that never truly develops, it keeps things on the precipice but never crosses into that world.
While it doesn’t go for something riskier, the direction and cinematography (by Robrecht Heyvaert) are absolutely excellent throughout. The texture and richness to the aesthetic, particularly with a lot of scenes taking place in the woods, are highly satisfying to watch. It moves almost like a thriller in the sense of how its tension and suspense rise as it progresses. There’s a superb intensity to it while still telling a grounded story of grief and asking a lot of questions about what a life is worth. The use of animation is definitely a factor in how it balances that tone, it has a humble and sweet feel.
As well as the performance from Megan Northam as Elsa, she’s the true focus of Meanwhile on Earth, everything revolves around her experience and emotional state. Northam shoulders that weight perfectly, she’s relatable yet distinctly individual. She gives Elsa a fantastic range, she can be very kind and caring but at other points have an almost cold determination. There’s a great deal to unpack which makes her a strong lead.
The only real aspect where Meanwhile on Earth falls short is the progression. While the first half of the film works well, the second half doesn’t develop smoothly and the resolution can feel a bit too simple. It’s throwing in a lot of elements that ask some complicated questions about humanity but somewhat rushing through them to reach an ending that’s overtly open to interpretation. There isn’t a satisfying, resounding resolution to Elsa’s journey which is disappointing, although arguably it does provide an answer to her emotional struggle.
Meanwhile on Earth is highly creative, stunningly shot and charmingly unusual. Megan Northam gives an excellent leading performance, creating a unique and captivating character. The story opens up a lot of interesting avenues but it lets itself down by not fully exploring many of them. It plants the seed for something rather dark but never lets it grow, so while it does have an impressive amount of personality and the visual doesn’t ever let you down, it’s missing that final push to really make its mark.
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