Moment of Contact

The documentary is valid to whet our curiosity and mobilize humanity to demand more information from the authorities. It's amazing how the US is always involved in ufology matters. I live in Brazil, I was in Varginha and the people are afraid to talk about it. It could have been a hoax to develop tourism in the region or a real third-degree close contact.

It is impressive that after the improvement of smartphones with excellent cameras, the appearance of UFOs and other supernatural phenomena ceased. We know that there are confidentiality agreements between Brazil and the USA regarding national security matters.

I am a big fan of documentaries and this documentary film meets everything I expect from one, perhaps shedding some light onto an interesting events of first contact in Brazil.

Unfortunately, despite lots of collaborating eye witness accounts, it was a bit underwhelming to not have any feeling of conclusion at the end.

As a documentary filmmaker, I kept thinking of how differently I would have attempted to conduct some of the interviews had I been making Moment of Contact. Of course I wasn't present so perhaps it simply wasn't possible, but I suspect it may have been.

For example, I would have wanted to conduct the interviews where more than one witness was present, separately and independent of the others, rather than have them at the same place, same spot, same time. I think that would have felt more credible and made it more interesting to compare the different testimonies for any variations or differences. There did seem to be some attempt to do that in at least of the interviews after the fact.

However, I realize that when making a documentary in particular, time is always limited and restrictive, especially if multiple interviews or different locations are required.

I gave this documentary a 7 Stars rating for its work and structure, since taking a lot of interviews, and history and details and making them into a flowing story can be challenging, but I placed it only into my Pretty Good Movies list which is usually only for 5 to 6 Stars, instead of my Highly Recommend Movies list which is 7 to 8 Stars.

Mainly because the value of this film to me as a filmmaker and documentary film creator is higher than what it would be for someone I might recommend the film to who doesn't have a history or experience in making documentaries.

That said, if you enjoy documentaries, then you'll probably watching the Moment of Contact moderately enjoyable and interesting.

Updating my review from at 7 to a 9. I've re-watched this movie a few times now and I think my review below is a little harsh. I think we all expect too much from an evidence perspective. This is an excellent testimony-based account of something non-human that really happened. I commend James on his diligence and perseverance here. I stick by my assessment that it could've been a bit shorter, but I do understand the desire for the dramatic background music, etc...

The moment of this film that haunts me is the description of the being crying like a baby.

This is absolutely worth a watch. Something happened in Varginha that, if provable via video evidence, will change our civilization permanently.

James, I personally apologize for the harshness of my initial review - my expectations were too high.

Original review: Just another bunch of eye witness testimony and questionable imagery. It was intriguing and moderately entertaining, but there's really nothing new to see here. All of these alien encounter documentaries are fascinating, but not really ground breaking in any way. I do appreciate the efforts to revisit such historic events like this, but the same old formulaic format is getting pretty stale. I'm sure it's significantly difficult to put enough footage together for a full length film, but this documentary could've easily been less than 30 minutes and still just as entertaining. I'm also certain that some of these folks in Brazil actually witnessed something unexplainable. Maybe one day we'll know more, but not today. Thanks for the efforts.

Stories of UFOs, ETs and the government coverups associated with them have become commonplace in today's culture, in everything from specialty cable TV series to Coast to Coast AM radio to episodes of The X-Files, with narratives that are all remarkably and consistently similar. And now director James Fox's new documentary has added its voice to this growing chorus of material on the subject, exploring the alleged 1996 crash of a UFO in Varginha, Brazil and the supposed escape of two extraterrestrial beings in the wake of that incident. Those already familiar with stories like this may not find this one especially revelatory, but those new to this subject matter are likely to see it as a well-organized, thoroughly explained accounting of an event that has become all too common over the past half century, especially in Brazil, a hotbed for this kind of activity. What's perhaps most impressive about this offering is the tremendous corroboration that the filmmaker and his team of investigators have amassed from an array of sources, including firsthand witnesses, military officials, medical professionals and first responders, along with the commentary of noted ufologists. Admittedly, there are a few sequences on which the presentation of the material becomes needlessly repetitive and could stand some judicious editing, and Fox's on-camera enthusiasm, though understandable, could still stand to be toned down a few notches. Nevertheless, the director has put together a production that comes across as highly credible and eminently convincing, telling a story that the world truly deserves to hear more about, especially from the official sources that have deliberately sought to quash it. After years of mounting anecdotal evidence and sustained conditioning worldwide, humanity is ready for the truth - and it's high time we heard it.

The subject of "Moment of Contact" documentary deserves as much attention as the Roswell incident. The convincing testimonies of people who are not UFO enthusiasts always adds to the credibility. However, the low-budget documentaries always lack convincing credibility. To be more persuasive, input from experts and a thorough examination of scientific theories (such "theories" are researched and not what is the popular meaning of the word "theory") with evidence is needed. Among them, a preexisting article by Jennifer Chu of MIT News, titled "A Sign That Aliens Could Stink", which discusses a potential indicator of extraterrestrial life, would have added certain value to the film but was not included.

The documentary, "Moment of Contact", deserved more funding and post-production efforts. Despite this, it remains a significant film for not only UFO enthusiasts.