Writer Crush(es): Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij

"A whole film is just about arriving at a moment where you hopefully transfer some feelings to the audience." - Brit Marling
 
Marling and Batmanglij are writers of a unrelenting and intricate variety, who have a vividly unique vision for each of the existences their characters inhibit. The indie darlings rose to prominence in 2011 with 'Sound of my Voice' which was selected to close the SXSW Film Festival and opened to critical success. Then Marling and Mike Cahill co-wrote the beautiful and understated; 'Another Earth' which took the Sundance Film Festival by storm.
 They have in every sense become the penchant for up and coming filmmakers which with the release of  'The East' will undoubtedly propel the duo into the mainstream and hopefully into the arms of a new unsuspecting audience.  
They are my writer's crush and this is my unashamed love of the writers that are the voices of an unheard collective- the cults, the outcasts and the alienated.  

Let's talk about Another Earth, it's a wondrously elegant and tentative exploration of identity and what it means to confront and extricate the experiences that have made you who you are.
The protagonist (played exquisitely by Brit Marling) is a strong and mesmerizing character who despite the surrounding change of the discovery of Earth 2, is within her own conflicts of second chances and forgiveness.
This is what encapsulates the velocity of the
 drama not one of an other-worldly existence but of human emotions which makes it an even more immersive experience.

The Sound of my voice is as mystifying as it is eye opening. It revolves around a couple Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius) who infiltrate a cult intent on exposing the leader Maggie (Brit Marling) as a fraud but as they begin to delve deeper into the group, they begin to question the truth and themselves.                                                                    It's a beautifully unnerving drama as Peter and Lorna begin to unravel into a perplexed state, as do the audiences perception of what is the true reality and the fantasy of the enigmatic cult leader. It is a beautifully crafted film that has a  nerve-racking and raw energy which twists at every turn creating a truly gripping mystery.

 
With all of the wonderful films they have made and have yet to make, it's easy to see how the powerhouse duo are sure to create some truly iconic films.