Disclosure Day

by Mike McGranaghan

Steven Spielberg remains the master. Forty-nine years after his landmark Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the director has made a spiritual sequel. Disclosure Day has a similar sense of wonder about life beyond Earth. Instead of merely asking if it’s possible that other lifeforms exist, the film asks what it would mean if they do. The answer Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp come up with is both spiritual and hopeful.

In the kind of approach only a director of Spielberg’s caliber could pull off, we jump right into the action, then learn what we need to know along the way. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) has stolen decades’ worth of documentation proving aliens exist and that the government has covered that fact up. He tells former novitiate girlfriend Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson) of his plan to release it to the public in one giant swoop. A government official named Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) is determined to prevent this, even using alien technology in his efforts. Meanwhile, Kansas City meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) finds herself suddenly able to speak languages she doesn’t know. She also feels drawn to Kellner, whose name repeatedly intrudes into her mind despite not knowing him.

All sorts of curious things occur in the story. Scanlon can use the alien tech to communicate telepathically with other people. Cardinals and elk appear in inexplicable places. Margaret is able to read minds, while Daniel understands the alien language, which consists of clicks and grunts. Then there’s Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), described by Margaret as “the guy who knows everything.” He seems to be quietly orchestrating a meeting between Daniel and Margaret.

Within those elements is the particular storytelling magic of Disclosure Day. Each scene starts by putting a piece of the overall puzzle in place, then ends by introducing a new mystery. You’re left in a constant state of anticipation as a result. Clues are doled out carefully so that you don’t understand the full picture until the precise moment Spielberg wants you to. That moment incorporates themes directly pertaining to the fractured world we live in today. Although not presented in a didactic way, one of the themes pertains to the value of believing in something bigger than ourselves. Religious imagery appears throughout, subtly setting up that idea.

Like Close Encounters, this is a very intelligent movie. It has a lot on its mind and strives to deliver a message of substance. This does not happen at the expense of fun, though. A particularly thrilling scene finds Daniel and Margaret’s car getting dragged by a speeding train they must leap onto, and a chase sequence around (and inside) an old farmhouse is pure Spielbergian playfulness. Blunt and Wyatt Russell, as Margaret’s confused boyfriend, have several very funny scenes together, too. All in all, you get that classic combination of action, humor, and suspense that the director is known for.

Everyone is exceptionally well cast. O’Connor is the movie’s soul, quietly yet firmly conveying Daniel’s belief that the public has a right to know about extraterrestrial life. Blunt is its heart, putting her character through a range of emotions as she attempts to make sense of her predicament. Hewson is the brain, with Jane verbalizing the pros and cons of disclosing the information. Firth makes a powerfully understated villain, and the always indispensable Domingo conveys the urgency of the revelation. This is a magnificent ensemble cast, working collaboratively to ensure the story entertains on every level.

Disclosure Day is very slightly hokey at times. Then again, that has long been a part of Steven Spielberg’s style. He never lost his childhood awe. In our overly cynical times, that quality is refreshing. You just have to embrace it, look to the skies, and remember that the unexplained doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, it can be downright enthralling. Who better to remind us of that? This is a movie we need right now.

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