{"id":19167,"date":"2020-07-01T22:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-unshakable-faith-of-brit-marling\/"},"modified":"2020-07-01T22:30:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T19:30:00","slug":"the-unshakable-faith-of-brit-marling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-unshakable-faith-of-brit-marling\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Unshakable Faith of Brit Marling"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#The Unshakable Faith of Brit Marling<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

Welcome to\u00a0Filmographies<\/strong>, a biweekly column for completists. Every edition brings a working actor\u2019s resum\u00e9 into focus as we learn about what makes them so compelling.<\/em><\/p>\n
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From day one, Brit Marling<\/strong> has been the type to chase the extraordinary. A powerhouse artist in every sense of the word \u2013 she has taken up the roles of actor, writer, director, and producer over many years in Hollywood \u2013 she constantly spearheads ventures that champion the most inexplicable, emotional parts of filmmaking. Across projects of varying genres, she showcases an unfailing propensity to postulate a thesis of faith.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes daring and unapologetic, Marling implores soul-searching and personal healing from audiences of her work. She tests herself as a performer within such narratives as well. She takes responsibility for being a guardian of these stories, creating fresh artfulness out of subtlety with every character. Moreover, she has ample range and versatility to commit to ventures by other filmmakers. If only she would app<\/a>ear in more of them!<\/p>\n

There is a sense of careful collation to Marling\u2019s method. Whether she takes on a role among members of top-notch casts or occupies a dazzling leading space, nothing about her resume screams \u201cfiller\u201d or \u201cunnecessary.\u201d Hence, her process going from something such as Another Earth<\/em><\/strong> to Arbitrage<\/em><\/strong>, then seemingly back around to the wondrousness of The OA<\/em><\/strong> is fascinating to experience.<\/p>\n

It makes perfect sense to then track Marling\u2019s progress from the very start. Another Earth<\/em> is one of her first successes after her initial forays as director (of the documentary Boxers and Ballerinas<\/em><\/strong>) and actor (in the drama Political Disasters<\/em><\/strong>). Co-written by Marling and director Mike Cahill, the intimate sci-fi drama discusses ideas of the complex, multifaceted self through an exploration of action and consequence. Thanks to Marling and character actor William Mapother, the film puts an invariably sympathetic spin on uncontrollable events posed by cosmic forces.<\/p>\n

Marling plays protagonist Rhoda, a life-long astronomy enthusiast whose bright future is cut short by a fatal accident of her own doing. While driving under the influence one night, Rhoda is distracted by some strange news<\/a> on the radio about a potential \u201cmirror Earth\u201d in close enough orbit to be spotted by the naked eye. She takes her eyes off the road for a moment and consequently rams straight into a stationary vehicle at a nearby intersection. This recklessness puts Mapother\u2019s character, John, in a coma and kills his son and pregnant wife.<\/p>\n

As much as this mirror Earth acts as a catalyst of derailment in Rhoda\u2019s life, it is irrevocably woven into her quest for redemption years later. She jumps at a chance to be transported to the new planet, where the prospect of a clean slate is imminent. Nevertheless, Rhoda\u2019s journey of introspection must first begin on her homeworld, especially when she and a horribly depressed John cross paths once more, reopening old wounds.<\/p>\n

Marling excels in the quiet moments of personal reflection in Another Earth<\/em>. The actress employs persistent reserve and restraint to depict Rhoda\u2019s deep desire to regain control over her life. Smartly, this feels like a deliberately flimsy fa\u00e7ade. Behind Marling\u2019s muted exterior lies all manner of anxieties, merely evidenced whenever her usually steady gaze betrays her. Rhoda debates a budding relationship with John. Paradoxically, remnants of her inquisitiveness reveal themselves the more she interacts with him. Opposite Mapother\u2019s mix of disgruntled indifference and potent magnetism, Marling scrambles for scraps of atonement, unafraid to confront utter desperation in the process.<\/p>\n

In comparison, Sound of My Voice<\/em><\/strong> (which premiered at Sundance the same year) impresses upon viewers a considerably enigmatic version of Marling. It is one of her many collaborations with filmmaker Zal Batmanglij; their first feature after working together on the sci-fi short film The Recordist<\/em><\/strong>. Sound of My Voice<\/em> is unapologetically challenging in its premise. Where Another Earth<\/em> touches on the sensitivity of the complexity of the self, Sound of My Voice<\/em> examines the fine line between skepticism and belief in oneself and others.<\/p>\n

This is because Batmanglij and Marling aren\u2019t set out to simply depict inevitably relatable characters. At the forefront of Sound of My Voice<\/em> are schoolteacher Peter (Christopher Denham) and writer Lorna (Nicole Vicius). The couple is on a mission to make a documentary in hopes of exposing a possibly fraudulent cult led by Marling\u2019s shadowy Maggie. When Peter and Lorna are finally inducted into Maggie\u2019s secretive group, their intention to debunk the latter\u2019s somewhat supernatural claims is greatly muddied by her powers of persuasion.<\/p>\n

Because Maggie is purportedly a survivor of a civil war from the year 2054, she cannot breathe without assistance from an oxygen tank and subsists on the tears, blood, and puke of her followers. She requires unfailing mental conviction from her devotees whenever she recounts tales from the future. Notably, Maggie oozes charisma and friendliness, maintaining her supporters\u2019 engagement and admiration. However, without tangible proof of her time-travel<\/a>ing ways, the question of her trustworthiness hangs in the air.<\/p>\n

This may make Maggie particularly difficult to connect to, but Marling is captivating in the part. She effortlessly leans into the character\u2019s quietly menacing quirks, exuding warmth amid the chill of the film\u2019s proceedings. Marling adopts an understated aura for the outlandish Maggie, fashioning herself as an authority within her cult by keeping her speculative wisdom within the realm of plausibility. What humanizes the leader and makes her bizarreness all the more unsettling is the way Marling embodies the earnestness that insidiously props up Maggie\u2019s unfounded theories.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, sincerity is a skill that Marling utilizes to less deceptive ends, too. Her supporting roles in the drama films Arbitrage<\/em> and The Company You Keep<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 starring luminaries such as Richard Gere and Robert Redford, respectively \u2013 actually have a chance to stand out precisely because of her heartfulness.<\/p>\n

Arguably, it is Marling\u2019s next team-up with Batmanglij in the thriller The East<\/em><\/strong> that definitively showcases how her presence can enhance the gravity of mainstream cinema. Sure, alongside names such as Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd and Ellen Page, Marling is among a prestigious ensemble in The East<\/em>. The movie is very much hers, though, as she is the audience\u2019s primary entry point into an intense, emphatic story about the clashing ethics of capitalism and ecological activism.<\/p>\n

In The East<\/em>, we first meet Marling\u2019s leading lady, Jane, as she prepares to go undercover and gather intelligence about the mysterious eponymous collective hellbent on wreaking havoc on unscrupulous corporations. She is, for the most part, a blank slate. While she does work for a private firm that\u2019s deep in the pockets of said corrupt companies, Jane herself seems fairly neutral, if basically privileged enough to ignore her wastefulness in lieu of her ambition.<\/p>\n

There are expected narrative beats in The East<\/em>, which leaves audiences to relish the strong performances at its heart. Jane experiences an awakening that shatters virtually everything about her existing worldview. It is to Marling\u2019s immense credit that this transformation leaps off the screenplay organically. She tackles The East<\/em>\u2019s questions about ecological welfare and capitalistic greed with intelligence and assurance in equal measure. Jane is one of Marling\u2019s most amiable characters despite moments of hardheadedness and sheer ignorance. As such, her more chastening moments in the film feel far more palpable and real.<\/p>\n

Marling\u2019s character experiments have continued to diversify since The East<\/em>. 2014 proved to be her busiest year yet, during which four of her movies<\/a> premiered. Additionally, Marling is undeniably pulled from her comfort zone in her first substantial foray on the small screen across the pond. She finds herself the only American in Babylon<\/em><\/strong>, a Danny Boyle-created British comedy-drama that tears into different factions of the Metropolitan Police Service.<\/p>\n

Portraying the principled but thoroughly underprepared Liz Garvey \u2013 a public relations expert headhunted into the role of Scotland Yard\u2019s new Director of Communications \u2013 Marling grits her teeth as she goes toe-to-toe against formidable groups within her newfound professional family. She touts transparency as a brand, but bureaucratic red tape, conspiratorial co-workers, and increasing demand for accountability for incidences of police brutality put her to the test. Plus, she is the new girl in town with no friends outside the force. Her loneliness is profound.<\/p>\n

Considering Liz\u2019s unique dramatic position in Babylon<\/em>, Marling is tasked to be the gutsiest she\u2019s ever been onscreen. She finds a key balance between Liz\u2019s understandable jitteriness and polished poise. She spits vulgar insults as part of the vicious culture of her workplace before seemingly \u2013 and typically silently \u2013 unraveling in private. Clearly, in embodying a character that is by no means bulletproof, Marling implores audiences to truly invest in the progression of Liz\u2019s arc in such a biting show.<\/p>\n