Who is Brit Marling?
Well, Marling is many things: she’s a Georgetown grad, a writer, a producer and an actress. At just 30-years-old, the Chicago native has been busy making a name for herself in the film festival circuit.
Marling recently gained buzz for two of her films that premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, both of which are built on the idea that things are not always what they seem. With several more films on the way, we think Brit is definitely someone who will soon gain national attention for her innovative style and persistent work ethic.
Here’s five reasons why we think Brit Marling will soon be a household name:
1. Georgetown Roots
Belive it or not, Marling did not attend school to become a filmmaker. Although she began making shortfilms in college, she majored in economics at Georgetown in Washington, DC. In an interview, Marling explained that art school wasn’t really an option at Georgetown, since it only took up about three classrooms and the school lacked a film studies curriculum.
In a Q&A at the Angelika Film Center, Marling expressed that she had friends that went to drama school, but her personal philosophy involved her knowing more about “being a human being.” She also admitted that having a broader education has benefitted her.
After her junior year, Brit was accepted into a highly sought after Goldman Sachs summer intern program, but quickly realized it was not for her. She had this to say to Huffington Post:
“What I liked about economics in school was the probabilities and econometrics and regressions, which all come very naturally to me. I liked making my brain work that way. But when I was working at the bank, that whole part of it went away. I started thinking: how have I arrived at this place? I could see what I was going to be, and I didn’t want to be that person.”
As an aspiring filmmaker myself, who’s currently majoring in economics at East Carolina University, Marling’s words are particularly inspirational to me. Not only does her broad educational background give her an edge when it comes to the film industry, but it also makes her a more dynamic human being. She seems capable of nearly anything, and in film, that means she could work in any genre, something I hope to one day achieve.
2. The Mike, Zal & Brit Trio
I‘m always intrigued by filmmakers who stick together: the ones who say “we mesh, lets keep at it.” When there’s magic in a production company, it’s a hard thing to turn away from. We see it all the time from Happy Madison Productions to the Coen Brothers recurring collaborators, and Marling’s crew is no exception.
While studying at Georgetown, Marling met fellow film enthusiasts Mike Cahill and Zal Batmanglij. Batmanglij was studying anthropology at the time, while Cahill tackled economics with Marling.
The two first noticed Marling at a presentation of their film. Marling led the standing ovation at the end of the film, but didn’t introduce herself to Batmanglij until two weeks later. In an interview, Batmanglij remembered seeing the fire from the Pentagon during the September 11th attacks and sharing a meaningful moment with Marling.
Cahill and Marling made short films together while in college; he would direct and she would act. In 2004, both Cahill and Marling penned and directed the documentary Boxers and Ballerinas. The three are now busy combining all of their visions and talents in various areas of their movie making processes.
3. A Major Film Festival Contender
In 2011, Brit co-wrote and starred in two films that gained special attention at the 27th annual Sundance Film Festival. Both films had extremely low budgets and left the audience in a bit of a trance as neither story was fully resolved.
Sound of My Voice is a psychological thriller about an underground cult whose leader, Maggie (Marling), claims to be from the future. The story centers on a couple trying to do some investigative journalism on the true nature of the cult while simultaneously becoming members.
The film poses many questions but is left open ended. In an interview with Wired, Marling noted, “We tried to craft it so that each seed could be interpreted multiple ways.” In September, 2012, the movie won the Octopus d’Or at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival for Best International Feature Film.
In a similar fashion, Another Earth is a science fiction drama that also has an ambiguous ending. This film tells the story of Rhoda (Marling) who once had a promising future at MIT, but after killing part of a family in a drunk driving accident and going to prison for four years, she takes on the responsibility of cleaning the sole survivor’s house.
Another Earth poses the idea of a parallel planet that may contain parallel humans, living the same lives as we do here on earth but whose paths begin to deviate as soon as we discover the new planet. Without giving away too much, at the end, Rhoda wins a trip to visit the other planet, “Earth 2″, and some sense of what is on Earth 2 is revealed although it is not fully explained.
At the festival, the film won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for “focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.” It also went on to win the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature at the 2011 Maui Film Festival and was named one of the Top 10 Independent Films of the Year at the 2011 National Board of Review Awards.
Side Note: In one incredible scene in Another Earth, William Mapother’s character plays the saw as an instrument for Marling’s character. The song was composed by Scott Munson and performed by Natalia Paruz, aka the “Saw Lady”. Director Cahill came across the immensely talented Paruz while riding the subway in New York and had her coach Mapother on how to properly hold a saw as if he was really playing it.
The scene adds to the eerie ambience of the film as you’ll see by taking a look at the clip below and actually hearing what a saw sounds like as a musical instrument, although it almost sounds more like a female opera singer!
Check out award-winning novelty instrument player Natalia Paruz’s rendition of the Star Trek theme song:
4. A Woman of Many Talents
Brit Marling takes on more than one role in her films. Her involvement in the writing, directing and producing departments of her projects shows just how dedicated and passionate she is about filmmaking. As a musical theater buff that’s acted in my fair share of high school and college shows, it can be hard to not feel like a prop with lines. I can see how doing research for the film could help give you an edge if you were also acting in it.
5. Brit’s Upcoming Films
Although her first few films have included some unique science-fiction-esque themes, Marling is sure to continue bringing us intriguing projects.
In an interview with Collider, Brit explains, “As far as what I want to do next, I’d love to do anything that is outside of my comfort zone, that I’ve never done before.”
Marling starred in Arbitrage in 2012, alongside Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth. The film went on to gross almost $18 million at the box office, a huge increase from her film festival projects.
Brit also starred in Robert Redford’s award-winning political action thriller, The Company You Keep, with Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon and Anna Kendrick. Brit will soon be featured in the upcoming action mystery film The East, alongside Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgard. She’s also filming two dramas and a comedy – Green Blade Rises, Grace That Keeps, and Posthumous.
So just who is Brit Marling? Well, we may not have completely figured her out, but with the amount of films she’s got coming up, hopefully we will soon. It’s obvious she’s got a lot of creative juices flowing and it’ll be exciting to see just what she can make of them. Keep your eyes peeled for the future superstar’s upcoming projects.
‘Sound of My Voice’ Trailer
‘Another Earth’ Trailer
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