Slow-moving, pensive movies sci-fi movies exploring themes like identity and alienation seem to be the rage currently. While "Never Let Me Go" left me cold, and "Mr. Nobody" and "Womb" made me wince, this is the gem of the bunch. A beautiful, restrained film that never buckles under the weight of its own gravitas. Be forewarned - the influence of Solaris is anything but discreet. Some of the scenes seem to be set up as a deliberate homage to Tarkovsky. It didn't bother me though, and I would liken it to Duncan Jones' gentle winks to the sci-fi classics in "Moon". In fact there are striking parallels between these two movies thematically, and they would fit snugly together on a double bill. Hopefully "The Clone... " will garner enough attention that Kanji Nakajima is able to continue to explore science fiction in this respectful, understanding manner. A quite wonderful little pendant to Solaris, that deserves to be seen.
Review of The Clone Returns Home
