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"Just because you see it with your eyes...Do you believe it?"
Unidentified was anything but straightforward. File it under absurd arthouse, low budget, independent, allegorical tale, and musical sci-fi endeavor. The movie combined seemingly random vignettes and documentary style scenes. Weirdly, it worked on different levels, but will likely not appeal to most.
In 1993, giant spheres settled over major cities around the world. No first contact, just silence…for 29 years. As people became accustomed to the new sky décor, an international theory developed: Alien Mind Control Syndrome. Whether aliens were controlling people’s minds or masquerading as people was up for debate. Those under 29-years-old began to question if they were aliens. Three people in black could have been aliens, from somewhere else, or just mentally stressed from the ever present spheres. Were oddity and social alienation a sign of being an extraterrestrial or just being odd and lonely?
The acting was not great, but better than most low budget films. Romantic love, heartbreak, an alien cult, dream interpretation, burned-out workers, even Korean reunification all made appearances. It was not unusual for characters to break out in dance and/or song. Luckily, the music was actually quite pleasing.
I have no idea what director Jude Chun wanted me to take away from this strange film. What I got from it was how we all deal with the “aliens” in our midst, those who are “different” or foreign. Do the “aliens” in a foreign place still dream of home? Are we welcoming, seeking to learn from each other and peacefully co-existing or do we shut down and listen to our lizard brains and determine we must protect ourselves from the “aliens” and their different ways of thinking, looking, and doing things whether in society or in our personal lives? Chun didn’t spoon feed his vision. The film dragged in places and was obviously not well funded yet it provided interesting existential perspectives and what alien film couldn’t be improved by song and dance?
17 February 2025
In 1993, giant spheres settled over major cities around the world. No first contact, just silence…for 29 years. As people became accustomed to the new sky décor, an international theory developed: Alien Mind Control Syndrome. Whether aliens were controlling people’s minds or masquerading as people was up for debate. Those under 29-years-old began to question if they were aliens. Three people in black could have been aliens, from somewhere else, or just mentally stressed from the ever present spheres. Were oddity and social alienation a sign of being an extraterrestrial or just being odd and lonely?
The acting was not great, but better than most low budget films. Romantic love, heartbreak, an alien cult, dream interpretation, burned-out workers, even Korean reunification all made appearances. It was not unusual for characters to break out in dance and/or song. Luckily, the music was actually quite pleasing.
I have no idea what director Jude Chun wanted me to take away from this strange film. What I got from it was how we all deal with the “aliens” in our midst, those who are “different” or foreign. Do the “aliens” in a foreign place still dream of home? Are we welcoming, seeking to learn from each other and peacefully co-existing or do we shut down and listen to our lizard brains and determine we must protect ourselves from the “aliens” and their different ways of thinking, looking, and doing things whether in society or in our personal lives? Chun didn’t spoon feed his vision. The film dragged in places and was obviously not well funded yet it provided interesting existential perspectives and what alien film couldn’t be improved by song and dance?
17 February 2025
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