Earth (1996)

Brilliant and touching

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

From the opening scene to the end, Earth is a very non conventional movie. It's plot seems weird at times, even nonsensical, the characters seem like cartoons and one-dimensional at times, doesn't really make sense. But once you understand what the film is truly about, you can really get what Medem was trying to achieve here.And it works, most of the time. The main character's struggle to choose really between his sexual desire and his want to settle down is very intriguing, and a story I believe many men can identify with. The acting is pretty solid for the most part and the cinematography is great, but the movie feels too slow at times, sometimes it just feels like the movie is going nowhere. The main character, although he is written to be that way, feels way too creepy at times and his moves don't really make a whole lot of sense. The movie feels a lot like a documentary at times and not a film, which kind of explains the slow pace. The movie gets pretty confusing, especially towards the end and I don't think everything has a very clear meaning. I mean, it's clear Medem wanted to say something with the clouds and lightning and some other things, but, as a director you have to be able to make it clear to your audience what you are trying to say. Even if it is done in the most subtle ways.Despite all of its flaws, Earth is pretty thought provoking film that is well acted, well shot, and although it may get pretty confusing at times, it's worth the watch.

I watched this as part of the six DVD Spanish release Julio Medem 'Collection', easily the most cost effective way of getting his first six films.Quite weirdly wonderful, this sums up all that is good - and bad - about World cinema. Forever inventive and beguiling, one just doesn't know where either the narrative or camera will take us next. But that weirdness and fantasy can leave one confused and wishing for a more concise reality.Medem's immense imagination - who else could summon a screenplay on the back of a just a grub-exterminator just released from an insane asylum? but also make it work. I've never come across any director quite as unique as Julio Medem.I do like and enjoyed this film but in my opinion, it isn't quite up there with his best, which is The Red Squirrel, followed by Sex & Lucia, then Lovers Of the Arctic Circle.

Julio Medem's 'Tierra' has that same feel of surrealism, poetry and magic that his other works, namely 'Vacas', 'Los Amantes del Circulo Polar', 'La Ardilla Roja'. His films are a genre of their own. Medem has penned a solid screenplay and done a fine job of showing it on screen. He often works on a broad campus. The visuals are very simple yet the way Medem and his cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe capture them makes them look extraordinary. The film is set in a remote Spanish countryside surrounded by simple earthy brown landscape. Yet the moving images beautifully capture the richness of texture, mood, emotion, sound, symbolism and dialogue. Alberto Iglesias's score is equally spellbinding. Carmelo Gómez, Emma Suárez, Karra Elejalde, Silke and Nancho Novo are in top form. Gómez does one of his best works here.I'll refrain from mentioning anything about the story because, like most of Medem's films, this one is more worthy experiencing rather than just hearing.

It would be easy to let your personality split in two if you'll get caught in situation like Angel from Tierra did. Except he had kinda split personality in advance...I guess you've never seen story about love this exceptional. There's a lot of strong symbolism, compelling plot, absolutely perfect camera, absolutely lovely characters, flawless acting, dreamy atmosphere, unexpected twists in storyline and more.In whole this movie is special, original and ultimately appealing. I tried to find something to reproach, some imperfection, and though I've already seen the movie three times over the years, I can't help but to award it with 10 out of 10.