I Origins

I Origins (2014) is a science fiction drama built around the tension between evidence and belief. It is Mike Cahill's second film after Another Earth. Ian is a molecular biologist working on the evolution of the eye, specifically to dismantle the argument that the eye requires a designer. At a party he meets a woman with unusual irises and that meeting reshapes his life. Years later his research runs into a result he cannot explain scientifically. The premise is strong: it builds a question out of the fact that iris patterns are as unique as fingerprints. The execution divides people. Some find it profound, others consider it spirituality in a lab coat. The second criticism is not baseless, since the film lowers its own standard of evidence in the final act. The section between Brit Marling and Michael Pitt is the coldest and the best part of it. There is a scene after the credits. Good for: idea driven science fiction, the science and faith argument, and American independent film. Less good for: anyone wanting a firm answer or rigorous scientific consistency. One death scene is also very hard.