"Mission to Earth" by Lev Manovich is a story of a woman who was sent to Earth twenty years ago in order to write weekly reports to her commander. After a while, she realized that nobody reads her reports, but she was doing her task anyway.
She did not feel at home at all. She felt like an immigrant that spent many years in foreign country but never really adapted himself to the new environment. In order to believe that her existence actually meant something, she found different kinds of pleasure on Earth - watching TV shows, looking for new clothing.
Her memories were constantly interrupted by images of her childhood and her life back to Alpha 1. Going through the automatic carwash was something that reminded her of the past. Being inside of the car that was being attacked by brushes, foam and bubbles provided her with a kind of relief and happiness.
She was alone. Searching for love, she met another immigrant - a painter. The common misunderstanding of a new country united them together. She did everything she could in order to adapt herself to his lifestyle. After a while, however, the role of the artist's girlfriend was no longer satisfying. She left.
One day she received a message that her mission was over. She did not know if she should have stayed or returned. She felt lost again. She belonged nowhere.
The structure of the film is very divided. The screen is broken into multiple windows representing different streams of information. We can see images of an office, a computer, a mobile phone, a watch, documents etc, but we can also see more abstract things such as: rain on the window, spinning white patterns, grey sky or rusty ladder.
All those images are supported by a voice-over and music. Main character does not talk. There is no one to talk to.
The story emphasizes a very important aspect of modern times - routine. Nowadays, I find myself more and more focused on doing given me tasks. We wake up everyday, go to work, spend the whole day in front of the computers. Afterwards, we are so tired that we start watching these pointless programs on TV in order to stop thinking for a while. Having some time on weekends we do the shopping, hoping that new pair of shoes will make us happy again.
The film focuses on a life of an immigrant - very relevant in our times. People go abroad in order to look for happiness, and they find themselves missing for their past. We are all looking for some place not being sure it even exists.
The story of the film differs completely from those we can find in the cinema nowadays. Action movies or silly comedies do not allow us to stop for a minute or two and think. We are busy. We are meant to be busy.
There are various principles in traditional cinema such as 180-degree rule that keeps the camera on one side of the action, providing the viewers with knowledge of the space.
Three-act structure, on the other hand, divides the structure of the film into three parts: Act I (set-up), Act II (confrontation) and Act III (resolution). This structure allows the viewer to know the characters, their lives and problems. Moreover, between those acts, so called, plot points appear. Their purpose is to provide the smooth transition from one act to another. Thanks to plot points the film is continuous and logical. The cause-effect principle remains. Everything happens for a reason.
In "Mission to Earth" there is no 180-degree rule. The image spins around, the main character changes her location unexpectedly. There is no logic. The images appearing simultaneously on the screen are abstract and have little to do with the actual story. There is no acts in Manovich's film, neither cause-effect principle.
The form of the digital cinema presented in the film also vary significantly from the traditional film-making. The way the film is shot can be described as illogical. Many unreasonable close-ups, no dissolving. The film is cut and edited in a very raw way. No beautifying, no sugar-coating.
But what Manovich does perfectly is describing the main character. After few minutes we possess quite decent knowledge about the woman. We know her internal and external life, we know her past and the problems she is facing. Even without listening to the voice-over, we can see how the main character feels. After all, film is a story told with pictures.
Bibliography:
180-Degree rule:
http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/filmglossary/web/terms/180-degree_rule.html (Retrieved Nov 13, 2014)
The Three-act Paradigm:
(Retrieved Nov 13, 2014)
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