'The man from Earth' is science fiction fantasy in concept, not in presentation. It is consciously, inescapably low-key - subdued, restrained, laid-back. The narrative consists wholly of dialogue - recounting history, personal and global; philosophizing, hypothesizing amidst friends and colleagues. There are no active flashbacks, no action scenes, not even a change of scenery beyond the interior or exterior of the abode where the characters are gathered.
And it's both endearing and engrossing.
The production is staggering in its simplicity, yet weirdly impressive in its craft. Just look at the cast: Richard Riehle, Tony Todd, John Billingsley. Uncomplicated and direct as the performances are, all involved here are great. I'm personally less familiar with Ellen Crawford, William Katt, but the same goes for them.
Writer Jerome Bixby, having died several long years before 'The man from Earth' was made, had some very notable credits to his name, and still this screenplay may well be his very greatest achievement. The same goes for director Richard Schenkman, whose list of past works rather seems to culminate with this. His camerawork here is plain and unremarkable, but he pointedly fixes his eye on each actor as the screenplay demands. As much as the film consciously eschews any sense of dynamics, the final emotional beat of the story is told as well with the pen as it is conveyed by the camera, and is a superb capstone.
The end result is a bewitching exploration of an idea, presented as realistically and as plausibly as I think is possible: What if an individual, by genetic quirk, did not age? What if a man living in contemporary times were, in fact, thousands of years old?
Tantalizing and excellent as the film is, 'The man from Earth' is not perfect. I personally feel that Mark Hinton Stewart's score, fine as it may be, is altogether unnecessary in its use as background musical accompaniment. Between Schenkman's direction and Neil Grieve's editing, the film is paced much too quickly for my preferences. Ideally this should have been a fair bit longer than 90 minutes: A more patient vision would have allowed more time for crucial story beats, lines of dialogue, and character interactions to manifest, breathe, and digest. As it is, the conversation moves along so quickly that I found myself doubling back multiple times to catch something I missed the first time around. In a feature where the dialogue is paramount, that's inexcusable.
Even with these flaws in its realization, though, the screenplay is a treasure, and the greatest contributor to the movie's success. It would be so easy for a tale like this to be needlessly inflated with fiery bombast - an active investigation by police or reporters, chases, suspense, throwing of objects and emotional outbursts. That 'The man from Earth' deliberately dispenses with all such notions is a further credit to Bixby's legacy. The substance of the film is in the discussion and analysis, and anything beyond would have been superfluous.
There's not much more to say. This is a film appropriate for all audiences, though of course anyone who's not receptive to a picture centered exclusively on dialogue may be put out. Yet for as straightforward as it is, 'The man from Earth' is a fascinating feature, and quietly rewarding. I'm so pleased I had a chance to watch this, and recommend it for all.
