The Man Who Fell To Earth

Watched this the other night and it's quite an interesting movie-oddity. It's a 70's experimental Sci-Fi rock n' roll film with a very young David Bowie as the lead, in the character of Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien who comes to Earth to bring water for his dying planet. Thomas has a plan to succeed, using his unique technological knowledge, only he doesn't expect to fall into the trappings of modern living and capitalism on Planet Earth. The story (based on the book from the 60's with the same name) is quite beautiful and unique. Also, there's quite a parallel going on between Bowie's life during that era and the life of his character Thomas, and director Nicolas Roeg has confessed that's why he chose him to play this part. Both were living uncomfortably in their own skin. At the time Bowie was the top performer in the world and fame was as addictive as his cocaine habit, with obvious marks on the way he presents himself in this movie. Both fame and drugs were slowly killing him, yet he persevered. His character Thomas is slowly being corrupted as well, distracted with the illusions of modern life (a specific scene where he compulsively watches a wall of different tv screens showing several images is a beautiful visual metaphor for that). He ends up alone and defeated, trapped on Planet Earth without a way of returning to his own planet. Yet, he perseveres as well. He won't grow old or die like the other humans around him, he'll simply be forgotten and isolated forever. This is the great calamity of "The Man Who Fell to Earth": for humans, the hurt ends at death. For Thomas, it may continue on indefinitely, perhaps, forever.

Trailer: