Alien Intervention

I'm going to admit that I'm not an impartial viewer here, because I am GREG GBARA'S biggest fan. I mean anytime he's on my screen I just swoon. And not because he's a hunky dreamboat, which he is, but because he's such a TREMENDOUS talent. I mean, the man went to Juilliard for heaven's sake people! So anything he does just comes with that additional layer of nuance and intuition that only a top ace actor can possess. And boy oh boy from the moment he appears to the moment he exits, I was simply raptured, sitting on the edge of my plether lazy boy gripping my jumbo iced tea JUST WAITING for the poetry to drip from his lips. And you bet your bottom dollar, it did. In spades. WATCH THIS FILM. SUPPORT THIS GREAT ACTOR.

A tribute to Starman of 1984 (oops, you knew that didn't you?) perhaps but with absolutely minimal SFX. A little slow to start with but it draws you in. Sympathetically drawn characters, although one can't help feeling a little frustrated with Clive's unwillingness to be open with her husband. The ex MIB character (if I may call him that) is very amusing if a little unbelievable but you know what? Films are all about suspension of disbelief and for an hour and three quarters it managed it for me, which not many fiction films (of any genre) do nowadays.

As many have said, the cinematography is excellent and the acting very solid. Overall this film I found to be satisfying, in a very good and quiet way.

I'll lead off by saying I liked the movie a lot. It was intelligent, well acted and the camera work was incredible. Where it kinda lost me was with some of the story ideas that to me just didn't work. Firstly, it was strange that the main character was Japanese American "Sanada", and her father was clearly either from Japan or 2nd generation, and the mother was white. This alone is certainly not a big deal, but I wanted it explained because it's unusual to have that type of family in the New Mexico desert. So to just have that be a thing without offering any insight just seemed off. I also found the story that the govt. Agent broke the alien out of a top secret base to be laughable. Come on, really? Just lazy writing. The rest of the story was so thoughtful and well written that whoever wrote this thing could've done better, but I guess chose to give up in regards to this aspect.

Based on the title and the poster art, I expected something more like that film "contact" where it's firmly rooted in sci fi. But really I thought this was more a movie like "the station agent" where it's a thoughtful character study that explores the human condition and our quest for purpose and meaning. Honestly I'd of given this a higher score, but I was struggling with the tone and story for the first 20 min for the above stated reasons of title and poster art.

But overall, I really enjoyed this and found the message relevant and moving and quite liked the journey the main character takes.

Would definitely recommend.

This is an entertaining and very warmly crafted sci-fi indie drama where character and motivation rule the day, rather than elaborate special effects. It's both a "woman's picture" and also something very universal, with excellent performances and resonant dialogue that delivers on its themes without being show-offy about any aspect of the production. The performances are all very strong, with Gregory Jbara really nailing his colorful supporting role. The film also benefits from some casually stylish imagery, which pains a nice portrait, yet never calls overt attention to itself. We need more films like this one.