
            Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling) is a high school student and amateur astronomer, who has recently been accepted to MIT. She celebrates with friends and drives home intoxicated. Listening to a story about a planet that has just appeared at the sky on her car radio, she looks out her car window up to the stars, and inadvertently slams her car through a stopped car at an intersection, putting John Burroughs (William Mapother) in a coma, and killing his pregnant wife and son. Rhoda receives a 4-year prison sentence, but since she is a minor, her identity is not communicated in the papers.After serving her prison sentence, Rhoda is picked up by her parents to live at their home. Radio broadcasts provide more information about the other planet, which has come much closer over the last 4 years, and is now clearly visible in the sky during the day. It is a complete copy of Earth, with continents, cities, oceans and all. Scientists are attempting to make contact, but they have difficulties broadcasting through all the signals coming from 'Earth 2', as they call it. Rhoda's brother tells of an essay contest sponsored by millionaire entrepreneur Keith Harding, who is funding a space flight to Earth 2, and grants a free ticket to the civilian who has the best motivation to join. Rhoda chooses not to use her old room, but takes the austere attic instead. As an ex-convict, she knows that she will no longer be accepted at MIT, so she accepts a job as a janitor at a local school, wanting to physically clean things with her hands but not do too much thinking. She builds something of a report with an old blind janitor called Purdeep (Kumar Pallana) but avoids contact with others as much as possible.After cleaning the school for a while, she returns home one day after work, and goes to the intersection where she caused the fatal accident. She sees John Burroughs pulling over, placing one of his son's toys on the curb in memory of his deceased family. She follows him home, but not knowing what to do, she remains outside, partly undressing and exposing herself to the cold while watching Earth 2. She is found before she freezes to death, and treated for mild frostbite.While recovering, Rhoda enters the essay contest, explaining how as an ex-convict, she is excluded from most privileges. However, in the old days of naval exploration, it would often be ex-convicts who dared to take the risk of venturing into the unknown, and were among the first to set foot on new worlds, so this would make her a likely candidate to be among the first to visit Earth 2.Rhoda does an internet search on John Burroughs, discovering that he used to be a celebrated composer and musician. She also reads that John awoke from his coma when his entire family was already buried. Riddled with guilt, she again visits John's house, hoping to apologize for the harm she did to him. He answers the door and she loses her nerve. Instead, she pretends to be a maid, offering a free day of cleaning as a marketing tool for Maid'n Haven (a New Haven based maid service). John, who has nearly dropped out of his Yale music faculty position and is now living in a depressed and dirty stupor, agrees to Rhoda's offer. She starts cleaning, and John notices her interest in a telescope lying in one of the rooms. When she finishes, John, who still does not know she is the person who killed his wife and son, asks her to come back next week. Rhoda tells him someone will come, but it may not be her.Back at home, Rhoda's brother shares news that he has been accepted into UConn. Rhoda practices a confession speech for the next time that she meets John Burrows. She returns to his house, but he immediately puts her to work, not giving her the opportunity to say much. After her cleaning is done, he gives her a check and shows her out, again totally oblivious of who she is.A television broadcast shows a successful attempt by scientists to send a signal over to Earth 2. One of them finally makes contact with a person on the other side. Not only are there humans who speak English there; one scientist is startled to discover that the woman she is speaking to is her exact copy in every aspect: same name, date and location of birth, even the occupation and childhood memories match. Rhoda's family, however, thinks it is just an elaborate hoax.The broadcast immediately sparks a scientific debate. Physicists theorize that Earth 2 is a mirror planet, an exact copy of our Earth, including all of its inhabitants. Philosophers open up the possibility that one could meet and talk with their exact copy, a person who may be identical but has led a different live.Rhoda cleans John's house again, and develops a caring relationship with him. They like each other and are intelligent and compatible conversationally. Rhoda genuinely wants to be of service to him as he gradually comes out of his depressive stupor and regains some joie de vivre. They play a video game and John allows Rhoda took look at Earth 2 through his telescope. Afterwards, he offers her a ride home, during which they discuss their potential copies on Earth 2. When asked what she would say to her copy, Rhoda responds "Better luck next time" before she says that she would probably be speechless. While dropping her off, John realizes that he doesn't know her name, so she tells him it is Rhoda. Again, no suspicion in John.At work, Purdeep seems to notice how conflicted Rhoda is. He tells her to keep her mind clear to obtain peace of mind. At John's house, they arrive on the subject of the first expedition that plans to go to Earth 2. Rhoda tells him a story of a cosmonaut who is alone in space, plagued by a ticking sound that he cannot stop. In order to maintain his sanity, the cosmonaut decides to listen to the sound as if it were music, obtaining peace of mind. She tells him about the essay, but John is skeptical about the expedition. He uses Plato's allegory of the cave as an illustration of how mankind may not be ready to accept the realization that they are no longer unique, since they still believe that they are the center of the universe. When John learns that Rhoda has washed a piece of clothing, presumably from his deceased wife, he becomes enraged and tells her to leave.A radio debate also warns about the potential dangers of Earth 2, since it also has humans with the same access to weapons and a comparably suspicious nature, which are ideal ingredients for conflict and mutually assured destruction. At work, Rhoda asks about Purdeep, who is in the hospital. He has poured bleach into his ears (which he had already done to his eyes once) as he was reportedly "tired of seeing himself everywhere". Outside, she meets John who says he is looking for her, but nobody at Maid'n Haven has heard from her, and all his checks have gone uncashed. She gives some quick explanations, and accepts his apologies for his earlier outburst. He invites her to his university, where he gives her a private concert of a new piece of music that he has been composing. Afterwards, they go home, where they finally give in to their feelings, and have sex. John tells about how he was finally content with his life, when a drunk driver killed his wife, son and unborn daughter. When he woke up from his coma, he was so angry at the perpetrator that he let his brother attend the lawsuits, and never learned that person's identity since it was a minor. Again, Rhoda doesn't dare to confess.Rhoda visits the hospital to see Purdeep who is now deaf and blind, hoping to hear an explanation for what he did. She hugs him and he immediately guesses the reason why she is there, and tells her she knows why he did it. She writes the word FORGIVE in the palm of his hand, making the old man weep.Rhoda comes home and hears that the people from the space flight have called. She calls back and is answered by Keith Harding, who says that he was moved by her motivation. He sympathizes with her, hinting that he once came close to becoming a convict himself, so the seat on the flight to the other Earth is hers. She goes to John to tell him that she has won the space flight, and that she will prepare for a training program in the Mojave Desert. John seems enthusiastic at first, but then asks what testament and funeral arrangements he has to make in case she does not survive the flight. Finally, he flat out asks her not to go, since they are so close to something now. She says that she will tell him a story, and if he still wants her to stay afterwards, she'll stay. She tells him about how naive she used to be, and in her recklessness, she killed his wife and son. When she went to him to apologize, she lied in the hope that she could make his life somewhat better. But now, she fears that she is doing this to make herself come to terms with what she has done. Devastated by this confession, John angrily forces her out of his house.Rhoda returns home, finding out that the media have discovered that she is the winner of the space flight essay, and that she is an ex-convict. She is flooded with questions from reporters around her house, and flees inside. Her parents are upset that she didn't mention this to them, and want to know what she plans to do. In a telecast, they hear a theory that the citizens of the mirror Earth were identical to those on our Earth in every way, until the moment that they learned of the other's existence. From that point on, the identical people on the different Earths probably began to deviate in small ways, changing their actions and perhaps the course of their lives.Rhoda returns to John, but he refuses to open the door. She crawls inside through a window, and tells John about the theory of broken synchronicity which may have occurred four years ago. She gives him the ticket to the other Earth, tells him that there is a chance that his wife and son might still be alive on Earth 2, and leaves.Four months later, Rhoda has switched the attic for her old room, and watches a news program about the space flight to Earth 2 that is scheduled in a few days. She sees John giving an interview; he has undergone the space flight training in the Mojave Desert, and says that he feels privileged and proud to be among the first to go. Rhoda is happy, and after work, she leaves to go home. When approaching her back door, she is startled by a confusing sight: her identical copy from the other Earth standing in front of her. She is wearing fashionable attire that contrasts strongly with her own mundane clothes, suggesting that her twin has had a much better life for the last 4 years.
    

Another Earth


            This is taken from Wikipedia - set in chronological order, but not the order of the film. The film begins with the suicide of Peter, and ends with Karen in the hospital. This is a synopsis of the director's cut, so some events may not be featured in the original PG-13 version. Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji), a young Japanese woman, is unhappily married to Takeo Saeki (Takashi Matsuyama). She becomes obsessed with Peter Kirk (Bill Pullman), an American college professor working in Tokyo. She writes about her feelings for him in a diary. She follows him and sends him love letters. One night, Kayako returns home and enters her bedroom upstairs. She finds her husband reading her diary. In a rage, Takeo attacks Kayako, shoving her to the floor, banging the walls while yelling and screaming. Kayako breaks her ankle and crawls down the stairs, but before she can escape, Takeo catches her and snaps her neck.Takeo looks up to see their eight-year-old son, Toshio Saeki (Yuya Ozeki), at the top of the stairs; a witness to the murder. Takeo drags Toshio to the bathroom and drowns him in the bathtub. Takeo also slits Toshio's cat's throat and tosses the carcass on the floor of the bathroom. He wraps Kayako's body in plastic trash bags and places it far in the corner of the attic. He puts Toshio's body in his bedroom closet and tapes it shut with Duct tape, and then hangs himself.In order to find out why Kayako is sending him the letters, Peter Kirk comes to the Saeki residence the next day with one of Kayako's love letters in hand. He sees Toshio's hands hanging out of the bathroom window, bruised and scratched. Peter goes inside and decides to stay with the boy until the parents return. Peter looks through the rest of the house, entering Takeo and Kayako's bedroom in the back where he finds several family photos in a pile on the floor. Kayako's face has been torn out of every one of them. He finds Kayako's diary and thumbs through it, learning more about Kayako's obsession with him.The closet door catches his eye and, upon inspecting it, he finds the cut-outs of Kayako's face nailed all over the door and smeared with blood. Kayako's lifeless corpse falls out from the attic and lands on the closet shelf. Peter runs into the hall and hears thumping noises coming from Toshio's room and finds Takeo hanging from a noose of Kayako's hair. The next morning, in front of his wife, Maria (Rosa Blasi), Peter commits suicide by jumping off the balcony just outside his apartment bedroom. Matthew Williams (William Mapother), his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall), and ailing mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie) move to Tokyo as a result of Matthew's promotion. His sister, Susan (KaDee Strickland), also lives in Tokyo and helps them find a home. Matthew and Jennifer decide on a suburban house despite Emma's strange reactions to the place. Emma's health and condition deteriorate rapidly following the move. Jennifer becomes disenchanted with life in Japan as she cannot sleep during (what she assumes to be) Emma's restless stirrings, unable to speak the language, and has gotten lost once on a walk. Matthew assures her things will improve and that if they don't, the family will return to the United States.Jennifer falls asleep on a couch in the living room, after having made and partially eaten a bowl of ramen, which she left on the table. The sound of the bowl hitting the floor wakes her. She scolds Emma for making the mess, but then sees a trail of wet child's footprints leading out to the hall. She sees a cat on the landing of the stairs and sees a pair of white arms gently pick it up. She continues upstairs and enters her bedroom (Toshio's former bedroom). The door closes behind her.Matthew returns from work and finds the house in complete disarray with trash strewn everywhere. He calls out to his wife, who doesn't answer. He finally finds her on their bed, unable to move or speak and struggling to breathe. Before he can call an ambulance, he is startled by the sudden appearance of a young boy making cat sounds. He backs up against the closet as Toshio appears suddenly over his head.Later, Susan is preparing to leave the office. After attempting to call, Susan increasingly becomes concerned from not being able to reach Matthew. She then attempts to visit the house, but she is stopped by the sound of moaning coming from the hallway. She quickly exits to the stairs but is frightened when the lights start to flicker and shatter. Susan looks over the railing to see Kayako's ghost crawling up the stairs. Susan flees to the security office, seeking help. There, the security guard promises to go check it out. Susan watches the monitor as the security guard investigates. Kayako's black ghost materializes in the hallway and walks toward the security camera, and Susan runs.Susan takes a taxi cab back to her apartment. She enters an elevator, and it ascends several floors. Susan does not notice, however, that Toshio is standing outside each set of elevator doors she passes. Susan makes it safely inside when her phone rings. It is Matthew claiming to have forgotten her apartment number and asking to be buzzed inside. She tells him where to find her and activates the buzzer with the phone. Before she can hang up, the doorbell rings immediately. Thinking Matthew couldn't possibly have had time to arrive, she checks the peephole of the door. Shocked to find it is Matthew, Susan believes he is pranking her. She angrily throws open the door, but no one is there. The death rattle sound emerges loudly through the phone in Susan's hand. She drops and breaks the phone, yet the death rattle can still be heard. Cowering in bed, Susan reaches beneath the covers and pulls out the rabbit's foot phone charm from her phone and drops it in fear. A lump billows from underneath the covers and moves toward Susan. She lifts the sheets and finds herself staring into the face of Kayako's ghost. It yanks her under the covers, and the sheets fall flat upon the now empty bed.Yoko (Yoko Maki) is a girl whose work is to take care of Emma and clean the house. When picking up trash on the floor and stairs, she hears someone walking around up in the attic. Following the noise, Yoko enters a closet in the bedroom and sees a small door in the ceiling, which leads to the attic. Using a lighter, Yoko sticks her head up through the door and slowly turns around, looking for the source of the sound. She eventually comes face to face with the ghost of Kayako Saeki, who attacks her, dragging her up into the closet.Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is then called in to work at the house and care for Emma after Yoko disappears. While working, Karen finds a room that's been taped shut with cat-like noises coming from it. When she rips off the tape and opens the door, she finds a little boy (Toshio). The boy refuses to come downstairs so she asks him for his name. "Toshio," he says, in a toneless, eerie voice. Emma begins stirring and muttering in the other room. As Karen calms her, a dark shadow of hair emerges from a corner of the room, terrifying Emma. Karen looks up to see Kayako reaching for Emma. Kayako's hair, which was covering her face, flies back to reveal the whites of her eyes. The irises roll into place and focus on Karen as she backs away in fright.Alex, Karen's boss, finally arrives to find Emma dead and Karen in a state of shock. Karen is taken to the hospital while detectives question Alex. Detective Nakagawa (Ryo Ishibashi) asks Alex about the people that lived there, and tell him that Yoko has been missing from work. The detectives notice that the phone handset is missing from the cradle and push the page button. They trace the sounds to the attic where they discover the corpses of Matthew and his wife. They also make the grisly discovery of a human jaw and wonder to whom it belongs and where the rest of the body might be. Later in the movie, Yoko is spotted again by Alex as she is shuffling down the stairs of the caretaking facility where Alex, Karen, and Yoko work. As he is walking towards her, he accidentally slips on a liquid, which he discovers is blood when he touches it. Alex calls out repeatedly to Yoko, who does not answer in any way until she reaches the bottom of the stairs. She then turns around to reveal her face, now horribly disfigured without her jaw and her tongue is hanging out. Alex screams in terror, and the screen fades to black.Karen tells her story to detectives, emphasizing the appearance of a boy. Over the next few days, she is constantly tormented by Kayako, in her shower, on a bus, etc. Frightened but determined, she begins to research the history of the house. Eventually, she learns of the murders.Detective Nakagawa becomes convinced that the rash of deaths and missing people is connected to the house when he views the entire security video taken at Susan's office building. He watches as Kayako proceeds down the hall, then to come face to face with the camera as the video fuzzes out. He then returns to the Saeki house with two cans of gasoline. He is distracted by sounds of Toshio drowning in the bath tub. He enters and finds a boy hanging out of the tub, and tries to revive him. His eyes snap open, and Takeo appears behind him. He shoves Nakagawa into the tub and drowns him like Toshio.Karen questions Maria Kirk, Peter's widow, who does not appear to know anything about the house, its occupants, or why her husband committed suicide. She allows Karen to search through old photos. Karen discovers a living Kayako in the background of every photograph, clearly following the couple. Karen then attempts to go talk with her boyfriend, Doug (Jason Behr), at their apartment. However, she discovers he has gone looking for her after his own investigation. Karen then returns to the house in search of Doug.Inside the house, Karen experiences a flashback of Peter Kirk's visit. She watches him, reliving the experience with him finding the body of Kayako and leaving the home. Karen flees downstairs. Doug grabs her ankle before she leaves. He is incapacitated, and she tries to drag him to the door. A door opens upstairs. Kayako's ghost crawls down the stairs toward them, and Doug dies in the same way Jennifer Williams did. Karen opens the door, but Kayako's ghost is suddenly there. She slams the door and kicks over one of the gas cans. She takes Doug's lighter and tosses it onto the gas as Doug suddenly becomes Kayako. The screen goes white. (In the director's cut, there are shots of Karen being put into an ambulance van).At the hospital, Karen learns that the house was saved from burning and mourns Doug's dead body. Suddenly, Kayako's hair and arm comes from beneath the sheet that covers him, but Karen realizes that it's just her imagination. Kayako then appears behind Karen. As Kayako utters her death-rattle, the movie ends with an eyeshot of her.
    

The Grudge


            
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William Mapother

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