Comments on the movie "I Origins"

Introduction

This is not a movie review, but only a few of my observations on the recently-released movie "I Origins." These will make sense only to those who have already seen the movie - and I hope that turns out to be everybody! I myself saw this film three times in the only theater in Chicago showing it.

To be sure, this movie has a lot of flaws. But it is also thought-provoking and has an undeniable emotional attraction. And it stays with you. This link is for people who haven't seen the movie, but they will not gain much from my comments below (except, perhaps, the words I devote to karma at the end): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Origins


Is Salomina a reincarnated Sofi?

I was not convinced that 7-year-old Salomina is the reincarnated wife of Dr. Ian Gray. When the elevator door opened (noisily, I might add), Salomina started crying and clung to Dr. Gray who was standing next to her. He took her reaction to stem from her memory of having been cut in half by an elevator in her previous life as Sofi.

I, however, saw another possibility. Salomina was an orphan who felt she was about to be returned to the streets. She had been treated kindly by Dr. Gray, who fed her and showed her what a decent living style looks like - in the form of his elegant hotel room. Maybe the opening of that elevator door signaled to her the end of this promising new beginning, and she was about to resume her former life on the streets. Maybe when she cried and clung to him, it was more in the spirit of, "Please don't send me away."

And when he looks at her face and sees tears streaming down, he has an epiphany - even though his earlier test of her memories as Sofi was inconclusive. Dr. Gray then picks her up. But as he turns away from the elevator to walk down the stairs, we see Salomina smiling as if feeling, "Everything's going to be alright now, he's not going to send me away."

I'm sure the others in the three audiences I was part of believed (or wanted to believe) that Ian had found his reincarnated Sofi. I thought the filmmaker, however, did a great job of leaving room for the alternative explanation I'm offering. The first seed of doubt was when Salomina first set eyes on Ian; there wasn't any flicker of recognition on her part "saying," "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

 

Comparison of Two Tests

Ian Gray's infant son and Salomina were both tested for former-life memories. But these tests were markedly different from each other - as different as the subjects themselves.

Salomina was shown sets of three pictures on a page and asked to pick which of the three she liked best. Of course, she had seven years as Salomina that could have reshaped her idea of favorite, from what was Sofi's idea of favorite. One set of pictures stuck in my mind: This page showed a white bird, a turtle, and an elephant. Maybe I'm being sexist here, but what little girl is going to pick a turtle or elephant over an elegant white bird in flight? The white bird was the "correct" answer, but better science would have dictated that the other two images be of other birds, just as pretty though not white.

In the beginning, Salomina chose the correct images. But when she started choosing incorrect ones, her face looked anxious. It seems she then tried to choose the images she thought would please Ian. Salomina should not have learned, immediately after choosing, that her choices were "correct" or "incorrect." Ian should have told Karen, out of this subject's earshot, "Let's use a code: If a choice is correct, I'll say 'Julius' - if incorrect, I'll say 'Caesar.'" Of course, it doesn't matter which code words are used as long as they would be neutral to Salomina's ears - that is, don't pick words like "elevator," "Sofi," "plus," or "minus." These might influence the subject's future answers.

It also makes a difference that Ian not show his pleasure or disappointment in Salomina's answers. And if a set of pictures wasn't up to his standards, he should not be saying, "That wasn't a very good one." In fact, he should have more carefully scrutinized each set of pictures in advance so as to discard any that weren't "very good."

 
The meaning of names

Ian means "God is gracious" - an interesting name for this particular character, Ian Gray being an atheistic scientist. [NOTE: God talk bothers me, but it is a good way to connect to a Western audience.]

Karen means "pure," which is how this Brit Marling character comes across throughout this movie.

Sofi means "wisdom." One can be wise without having an extensive laboratory and years of institutional education under one's belt.

As for Salomina: "Salom" means "peace" in Hebrew, and "ina" is a suffix used to form feminine nouns. I couldn't find the name "Salomina" in any database, so it's either rarely given to a child or is an invention of the script writer. I found this fascinating quote on the meaning of "salom," which speaks volumes on the way "Salomina" was used in this movie:


QUOTE:

[source: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/peace/ ]

 
The biblical concept of peace...rests heavily on the Hebrew root slm, which means "to be complete" or "to be sound." The verb conveys both a dynamic and a static meaning "to be complete or whole" or "to live well." The noun had many nuances, but can be grouped into four categories: (1) salom [l'v] as wholeness of life or body (i.e., health); (2) salom [l'v] as right relationship or harmony between two parties or people, often established by a covenant...; (3) salom [l'v] as prosperity, success, or fulfillment ...; and (4) salom [l'v] as victory over one's enemies or absence of war. Salom [l'v] was used in both greetings and farewells. It was meant to act as a blessing on the one to whom it was spoken: "May your life be filled with health, prosperity, and victory."

:UNQUOTE.

 
Even though this next source admits that Salomina isn't a name that came up in their database, they nevertheless offer this amazing statement which will give pause to anyone who's seen "I Origins:"

 
QUOTE:

[source: http://www.themeaningofnames.org/?n=Salomina&m=8&d=18&y=1962&go=Go ]

Salomina: I do not know how you feel about it, but you were a female in your last earthly incarnation. You were born somewhere around the territory of Central India approximately on 1275. Your profession was preacher, publisher, scribbler of ancient inscriptions.

Your brief psychological profile in that past life: Timid, constrained, quiet person. You had creative talents, waited until that life to be liberated. Sometimes environment considered you strange. Lessons that your last past life brought to present: Your main task – to make the world more beautiful. Physical and spiritual deserts are just waiting for your touch. Keep smiling! Now do you remember?

:UNQUOTE.

 
I have absolutely no idea upon what authority the preceding paragraph was based. Still...it does add to the overall mystique of the character.

 

What about the name "Kashish?"

On a hunch, I looked up the meaning of the name "Kashish," which is the name of the 10-year-old actress who herself is an orphan in India, who has the role of "Salomina" in the movie:

 
QUOTE:

[source: http://askganesha.co.in/babynames/female-babyname.php?id=Kashish&nam=K ]

Meaning: an attraction

Your first name of Kashish has made you a friendly, approachable, and generous person. This name inclines you to be sympathetic and generous to those in difficult or unfortunate circumstances. You can be firm, positive, and independent in your own ideas and in reaching your own decisions, yet when it comes to taking action or following things through to completion, you often need encouragement. You respond quickly to kind words or any appreciation shown you.

:UNQUOTE.

 
This is a good description of the real-life Kashish as depicted in an article I read describing how she landed the role of Salomina out of 1,400 girls who were also considered.


Dying in the elevator

When Sofi and Ian were trapped in the elevator, I sensed that Sofi knew she was going to die. That's why she wanted Ian to be the first to go to safety. That way, there was a chance that he would live. If she had tried to go first, she knew the elevator would fall, killing both of them.


The Preacher

When Ian brought Salomina back to his hotel, hand-in-hand, he was going to take the elevator to his room. But he saw the preacher waiting for that same elevator, with his back turned toward them. The preacher had said, earlier, "Maybe our paths will cross again." Well, they did - kind of. The preacher stood as an object of consideration. Dr. Gray probably didn't feel like talking to this guy, who had made him uneasy at their first meeting with his over-friendliness. And he also thought: "I don't want this guy to start questioning me, as to why I'm bringing this young girl up to my room."


Adopting Salomina

Ian might have wanted to adopt Salomina, which would have made for some fascinating complications. For one, Karen might have a problem with bringing Ian's former wife into their family. For another, should Salomina ever be told, "Ian was your husband in your last incarnation...but he's your adoptive father now?"

Then there's the issue of where to live. Salomina had been born in India for karmic reasons. Maybe the Gray family should consider relocating to India out of respect for those reasons. Why do so many assume that bringing her to the States would be for the best? Karen and Ian wouldn't have any problem finding jobs in India, even before they learned how to speak Hindi.

I can hear the hue and cry now, "What?! Americans relocating to India?" Why not?

 

The Science & Religion behind the Movie

Is it possible to use Iris Pattern Recognition to identify someone who has been reincarnated? Speaking as a Buddhist, I will say, "Yes, but only if the deceased had chosen to keep his unique pattern when the time came for his rebirth." As for the extreme case of a Hitler, he'd have no control since his next birth - after spending eons in hell - would be as a dung beetle. I doubt that beetle would have the kind of eyes that could accommodate the human Hitler's iris patterns.

I hope the filmmaker isn't trying to say that our iris patterns are some kind of eternal markers of our unique identities. There are bodhisattvas who are so advanced in their practices as being able to shapeshift at will into a variety of animate and inanimate manifestations. So it's doubtful that any vestige of a former incarnation (such as an iris pattern) would be an immutable constant.

As for Intelligent Design, we can have that without having to have an Intelligent Designer. For ID is nothing more than karma. If we insist on such a designer existing, why only one? And why couldn't each of us, in our own cases at least, be considered that Designer? We craft our own "destinies," why not our own appearances?

I don't think of my own eyes as having evolved, as much as having been the product of my own behavior (again, karma) over the course of trillions of lifetimes. In the Buddhist context, having eyes is only part of the equation:


QUOTE*:

If in the midst of the great assembly
someone with a fearless mind
preaches this Lotus Sutra,
listen to the benefits he will receive!

Such a person gains superior eyes
with eight hundred benefits.
As a result of these adornments
his eyes will become extremely pure.
With the eyes received at birth from his parents
he will be able to view the major world system,
its inner and outer parts,...
down as far as the Avichi hell,
up to the Summit of Being heaven.
And he will see all the living beings
in their midst.
Though he has not yet gained heavenly eyes,
the power of his physical eyes will be such as this.

:UNQUOTE.


Tell you what. If such "superior eyes" were to be dissected, no surgeon or researcher would be able to tell why these eyes would be capable of such feats.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of
the Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former candidate for USA President (in 2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinC@yahoo.com

Footnote: * Page 292 of "The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras," translated by Burton Watson, published by Soka Gakkai in 2009.