A man and his friends have a conversation... he tells them that he is actually a 14,000 year old "cave man" who has somehow survived throughout the years. Ridiculous, I know, but give this independent film from 2007 a chance and you will find an incredibly original, impactful, and thought-provoking concept.
The story goes that every 10 years the man packs up and leaves, creating a new identity somewhere before anyone notices that he does not age. This time, before he leaves, he decides to gather his friends around and tell them about his condition. The movie is based around this last conversation, with the main character explaining that he knew the likes of Christopher Columbus, Van Gogh, and even prominent figures from various religions, especially The Bible.
Review: The Man From Earth
All of the parts of the man's tale are made more acceptable and believable by the fact that his friends, his colleagues, are all professors of various degrees at the school where the man has been teaching for the last 10 years. A biologist, a psychologist, a devout Christian, a young girl, and the man's lover make up the cast.
As crazy as the story sounds, the plot works out extremely well--the dialog is superbly written and didn't have any holes in it from what I could see--assuming you are okay with the idea of a 14,000 year old cave-man, that is. I found that, in the context of the story, this concept was 100% believable. I was, at first, a bit skeptical, since I assumed such a cave man would look very different from a normal human, but apparently 14,000 years ago, cave men of that time were actually just the same as us, minus the acquired knowledge from modern society. That is to say, he wasn't a Neanderthal or any of "those" cave men.
The truly amazing part of this movie is when things take a turn and tackle more than just the scientific possibilities, and start to tackle religious issues due to the man's experience as he has lived throughout the 14,000 years.
The reactions of each person who he is talking to differ wildly; from blatant disbelief, to claims of heresy, to actual consideration that what he is saying could be true. When his colleagues realize that it is just as hard to disprove what the man is saying as it is to prove it, they become truly intrigued, and some frightened. This is the highpoint of the movie, and the ensuing dialog is fantastic and eye-opening.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys challenging their own beliefs, and the beliefs of various social and religious issues. A fantastically well written piece, albeit shot on a somewhat low budget, this is certainly one of the best movies I have seen in years. I'm so extremely happy that I took the time to watch it when my Netflix queue recommended it to me.
As a side note, since the makers of the film have thanked users for BitTorrenting the movie, I'm going to recommend that all of you download it and watch it, because I think this is the kind of movie that can open up a lot of new possibilities for people who watch it.
Get the Torrent hereI sincerely hope that all of you enjoy this film, a wondrous adventure for those who enjoy challenging themselves and thinking freely, with no boundaries and endless possibilities. I don't think anyone should ever go without seeing a movie of this caliber and greatness.
