I Origins

Filmmaker Mike Cahill's pretentiously titled I Origins wants to make a profound statement about the emergence of human life but beneath its stylish exterior lies a hopeless sci-fi muddle. Michael Pitt plays Ian, a biologist who has for years been taking photos of eyes, struck by their beauty and absolute uniqueness—an obsession that leads him on a quest to disprove the theory of intelligent design. With the help of pretty lab assistant Karen (Brit Marling), Ian succeeds in inducing a sightless worm to naturally develop an eye. But even though his work is widely credited with debunking creationism, some peculiar findings concerning the eyes of a woman he once loved, as well as those of his infant son, send Ian into an intellectual tailspin by raising the possibility of reincarnation—a direct challenge to the rationalistic absolutism that he has always espoused. I Origins explores these issues in a manner that struggles to appear evenhanded but is ultimately one-sided, finally resting its case on a cheap narrative trick that proves absolutely nothing. Likely to split viewers—some will proclaim it a smart sci-fi thriller, while others will find it superficial and goofy—this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)