‘I’ ON CULTURE
To put it simply, Steven Spielberg still has the power to create really good films. Disclosure Day is one of the best of his I have seen in recent years, and one of the best I have seen of any recent films. This film and Project Hail Mary make this a better movie year than last year, and we’re not even halfway through. This is one of those films that grabs you and just does not let go.
It begins with Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Conner), a technician at Wardex Corporation, stealing technology and filmed archives of meetings between humans and aliens, information that has been covered up for decades. His boss, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), gets the government to brand him a traitor and a chase begins. Scanlon firmly believes that knowing that there is intelligent life from other worlds could create damage to our world, which is presented at close to tipping into World War III. Finally, Daniel and his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) take refuge in a convent, where at one time she had lived as a novitiate.
At the same time, in Kansas City, Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is visited one morning at home by a tiny bird, a cardinal, which sets off psychic powers. She is a weather girl, and during her bit, she begins speaking in languages she never learned: Russian, Korean and a kind of clicking language. She also can suddenly know everything possible about what others are thinking, and she sets off on the run with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell).
Both Daniel and Margaret are inadvertently betrayed by their lovers, and they set off on a really well executed chase. All of this holds you and doesn’t let go until the end.
There are a multitude of fabulous discussions and debates between characters. Jane and her former abbess, Sister Maura (Elizabeth Marvel) about the validity of the Bible if aliens exist. Scanlon and his major opponent Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), a defector from Wardex, debate the wisdom of allowing humans to know of the existence of aliens. The best thing about these scenes is not only the exceptional acting, but Spielberg allowing intelligent reasonable discussions from all concerned. The last 15 minutes are incredible. I will not reveal what happens, but I can tell you that it seemed no one in the audience watching with me was able to move. Even better, it was realistic, no wild and crazy bits to do it. Just pure emotion.
The acting was superb. Blunt gives the performance of a lifetime. I have seen few performances as nuanced as hers ever. She manages to be vulnerable, interesting, occasionally a bit amusing and incredibly powerful. I will be shocked if she is not nominated for an Academy Award and would applaud her receiving one. O’Connor is very strong in a slightly less flashy but just as pivotal role. Firth gets a chance to really chew up the scenery as the villain, although his henchman Casper played by Henry Lloyd-Hughes might have been even scarier. Domingo gives a brilliant performance as the leader of the resistance to Scanlon. Special mentions should be given to Hewson and Marvel. One of the things Spielberg excels at is creating unforgettable minor characters who can be vitally important for a short time.
As expected in a Spielberg film, everything is polished close to perfection. John Williams, for whom this is the 30th collaboration with Spielberg, gives another superb score, more subtle than usual, but one that heightens most scenes. Janusz Kamiński, the cinematographer, made the film look stunning. As an aside, in a world of artificial intelligence, Blunt was told that AI could enhance her speaking the alien language. She refused and did a brilliant job based on her own talent.
The movie is long but is definitely worth seeing. For those taking the notion that this is anti-religion, take it from me, it is not. It does not answer questions, it simply created a great experience. Also, it does not matter whether you believe in extra-terrestrials or not. It is simply a really good movie experience.
Going to movies is expensive. It cost $29 for senior tickets on a weekday afternoon for my wife and myself. This is one of the few movies I have seen that is really worth the money.
