Unidentified Objects [Fantastic Fest Review]

by Mike McGranaghan

Peter (Matthew August Jeffers) is a gay dwarf with a bad attitude. Winona (Sarah Hay) is a sex worker. They live in the same building. One day, Winona bangs on Peter's door. They've never met, but she wants to borrow his car for a fast drive across the Canadian border. He tells her to buzz off. She can pay him, though, and he needs money badly. That being the case. Peter agrees to loan her the car on the condition that he accompany her and they make a very specific pit stop along the way. That's the set-up to Unidentified Objects, a quirky road trip movie notable for excellent performances from the two leads.

The hitch here is that Winona believes she's been previously (and apparently pleasantly) abducted by aliens, who are coming back for her. That's why she has to get to Canada by a certain time. Peter thinks that's nonsense, yet doesn't judge. He's got his own worries. During their trip, the traveling companions run into a couple of kooky cosplayers and a drug-loving survivalist who helps them get across. Peter's insecurities begin to come out, especially after a late-night visit to a bar near a hotel they stay at.

Unidentified Objects isn't particularly heavy on plot. The film is more a series of events designed to help us understand the characters, Peter in particular. As a little person, he's keenly aware that people look at him differently, often thinking nothing of making insulting remarks right to his face. (One of the cosplayers asks if he wants to dress up as an Ewok.) As things progress, we come to realize the profound depths of his pain and the reasons why he tends to explode in anger. Winona, meanwhile, has a whole other set of issues. She seems to be looking for something in life that she can't quite find. Through the road trip, both individuals at least partially begin to figure things out.

Jeffers announces himself as a real find here. His portrayal of Peter is brave. The actor doesn't shy away from making him difficult to like at times. While doing this, he also makes us keenly aware of the hurt inside, allowing us to empathize regardless of the guy's prickly nature. Hay is terrific too, making Winona kooky, without turning her into caricature. She makes the kookiness real. The stars work up a nice, off-kilter chemistry together that's easily the movie's high point.

I'm not sure Unidentified Objects quite melds the serious underlying emotions with the quirky premise as well as it could have. The alien abduction subplot fizzles out and proves less satisfying than the basic human element. That said, the human story here is appealing, touching on ideas that earn our interest. And the sweet-and-sour dynamic Jeffers and Hay bring to the movie is truly special.

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