Words by JANE CROWTHER
If Artemis’ recent moon mission has taught us anything, it’s that humans are still capable of wonder at our universe. In a world of bin fire news headlines, war and polarisation, a global community was awed by the possibility and unknown of the endless stars, shared common ground in curiosity of, and appreciation for, the magnitude of our galaxy. Steven Spielberg’s latest foray into sci-fi leans hard into what unites us as a race, rather than what divides us – exploring the possibility of aliens and UAPs through a lens of compassion and empathy, tapping into his ET toolbag more than that of War of the Worlds.
Based on a story crafted by Spielberg and screenwritten by his longtime collaborator David Koepp (who’s penned genre stablemates Jurassic Park, War of The Worlds and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for the director), Disclosure Day asks not if other life exists, but rather what happens if we have proof of it. As a spiritual sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the filmmaker wants to unpack what evidence of not being alone does to humanity; emotionally, politically, theologically. His tale centres on four key players: maths genius and cyber security expert Daniel (Josh O’Conner) who is on the run with a smoking gun backpack, TV weather reporter Margaret (Emily Blunt), whose morning meeting with a Red Cardinal bird gives her incredible empath powers, whistleblower mastermind Hugo (Colman Domingo) and Daniel’s girlfriend and former novice nun, Jane (Eve Hewson).
In a ticking-clock espionage drama, the four are chased as they attempt to reveal the truth of alien life by Big Bad, Scanlon (Colin Firth), the turtleneck-wearing head of WARDEX, a shadowy government consultancy outfit who have kept the public in the dark about visitations from other planets since Roswell in 1947. All have pasts that have shaped their ideology, and will clash during a 48-hour period when the top story on rolling news is the possibility of war with Korea as people panic-buy and faith is tested.
As an addition to Spielberg’s sci-fi canon, Disclosure Day feels like a director operating at the top of his emotional game and playfully referencing his previous work, tracking clear lines of fascination all the way back to his teenage-made Super 8 movie, Firelight (revisited in The Fabelmans). Some of the lensing and lighting is evocative or ET and Close Encounters, John Williams’ score is deja vu in orchestral soar, there’s a motel called Inn-Di-Ana, Scanlon’s arc recalls Keys from ET, a heart-pounding train sequence is reminiscent of both Duel and Spielberg’s grand obsession with The Greatest Show on Earth…
As a storyteller who has dominated most audience members’ cinematic history, that adds to the warmth of this tale, the idea of shared experience and emotional pull. Spielberg has already succeeded in making generations feel for a stranded alien and he creates the same magic trick again, frontloading his picture with top-drawer action and intrigue before walloping with tear-inducing sequences of human cruelty, solidarity, heroism and ultimately, affinity. Aspects of that could be criticised as soft-pedalling the realities of our species’ nature, but this is a film that positions itself firmly within hope, optimism and fellowship – misanthropes may struggle.
Key to that emotional register are Spielberg’s players – strongest among them, Blunt and Domingo, who may be on the awards train as well the one hurtling through Maryland in that high-octane action segment. Domingo emanates empathy and elegance as a melodious missionary, intent on providing clarity to the world while also understanding the terror inherent in that. Blunt, so often sidelined in roles as a wife/girlfriend, finally gets her big moment as a powerful woman fighting darkness through communication. Those getting the stories out in the newsroom (a key scene was filmed at NBC’s news studios in Rockefeller Plaza using real TV journalists) also adds heft and messaging about the importance of impartial reportage and truth seeking in a world of ‘alternative facts’ and partisan coverage. It’s a film that believes in our ability to be better and – in entertaining us with what-ifs – asks us if we can be.
Words by JANE CROWTHER
Images courtesy of UNIVERSAL PICTURES/AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT
Disclosure Day is in cinemas now
