Movie with Abe: Extraterrestrial

Extraterrestrial
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo
Released June 15, 2012

This strange little film is an unconventional alien invasion film, one that spotlights four characters living and surviving together in a building with a spaceship visible in the distance. What begins as a one-night stand between two strangers transforms into a bizarre spectacle of lies and deception, as Julio and Julia work to make sense of their surroundings while trying to prevent Julia’s nosy neighbor Angel from blabbing about their affair to Julia’s hotheaded boyfriend Carlos. Watching these characters interact with each other is extremely intriguing, and the film is edited in a way that much of it seems like a dream, as Julio struggles to piece together exactly what’s happened and what’s happened. It’s an inventive, cleverly constructed story with strong performances from Julian Villagran, Michelle Jenner, Carlos Areces and Raul Cimas. As it develops, it becomes much more complex than it originally seems, turning into a nice surprise of a drama and one of the most untraditional takes on alien invasions seen on film.

B