Fantastic Fest 2011: Extraterrestrial Review
Movies like Extraterrestrial are tough to talk about because in order to do so you must spoil them to a certain extent. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do, kind of. I won’t spoil any major plot points. Rather, I’m going to talk about what the movie is, versus what it appears to be. If that’s ok with you, read on. If it’s not, then I’ll just say the movie’s ok. Go see it, I guess.
Extraterrestrial is the latest film from Nacho Vigalondo, the director behind the Fantastic Fest hit Timecrimes and the brilliant short 7:35 in the Morning. The title and marketing of the film would lead you to believe that Vigalondo is giving us his alien invasion movie, a Spanish Signs perhaps. That’s not the case.
Sure, there is a looming spaceship and references to an invasion you never see but that is not the focus of the movie. It, surprisingly and unbelievably, doesn’t appear to be much of a concern for the characters either. Instead we are treated with a screwball comedy about infidelity that takes place almost completely within the confines of a single apartment.
The film opens with Julio, played by Julian Villagran, waking up in an unfamiliar bed after a night of drinking. The bed belongs to Julia, played by Michelle Jenner, a remarkably beautiful woman with a nice apartment. Things seem to be going pretty good for Julio, that is until he realizes that the city has been evacuated due to the appearance of multiple UFO’s while they were sleeping. Oh, and Julia’s husband is on his way home.
The alien invasion is used as an excuse to keep these characters together and as a distraction Julio and Julia can use to cover up their actions. It could have been anything really. Over the course of the film, the title of the film begins to change meanings. The invaders aren’t really the aliens, it’s Julio. Or, rather, any person or event that shows up out of nowhere to disrupt your life. This little trick almost justifies what otherwise seems like a decision to get more attention for what is a fairly run of the mill comedy.
There are some charming performances from all the actors and it’s certainly enjoyable as it goes on, but at the end of the day it feels too small. It won’t likely stay with you after it’s over, which is unfortunate because I believe Nacho has the potential to make a great movie. Many loved Timecrimes but I had similar problems with that one. It’s not as clever as it believes it is and doesn’t have much to say. 7:35 in the Morning still remains his best attempt at blending high concept genre ideas with comedy, and that is because it has more heart. It has something to say and does so in a relatable, if ridiculous, way. Despite not actually featuring one, Extraterrestrial is just too alien.
