Three years after his autobiographical film The FabelmansSteven Spielberg returns to a genre that has been a part of his filmography since the beginning: science fiction. But with Disclosure DayReleased in theaters on June 10th, the American director's film isn't so much about recounting an encounter with beings from elsewhere as it is about questioning our relationship to power, truth, and what connects us. Blending thriller, popular entertainment, and intimate reflection, this new feature film continues the filmmaker's recurring themes.
A return to extraterrestrials to talk about the present
The story follows several characters whose paths eventually converge. Daniel Kellner, a former cybersecurity expert, tries to make public information he believes is being hidden from the world, while Margaret Fairchild, a weather presenter, begins experiencing phenomena she doesn't understand. Gradually, the film reveals the idea of a truth controlled by political and economic interests.
According to an interview Steven Spielberg gave to France Télévisions, the project's origins can be traced back to an article published by the New York Times in 2017, revealing the existence of a U.S. Department of Defense program dedicated to UFO sightings. The director explains that this reading rekindled his interest in unexplained aerial phenomena. The screenplay also draws on a long-standing fascination with state secrets and the American fascination with extraterrestrials, a theme Spielberg had already explored in Encounters ou NA
Between spectacle and humanist meditation
Si Disclosure Day While it adopts the conventions of the blockbuster, its ambition seems to lie elsewhere. The film uses science fiction as a tool to observe human behavior: fear of the unknown, the need for control, the search for meaning, and the difficulty in accepting what transcends us. The visitors from elsewhere are not presented as a spectacular threat but as a presence that forces the characters to confront themselves.
Critical reception appears to be mixed. Franceinfo Culture praises an introspective and generous film that extends the filmmaker's historical themes, while The HuffPost On the contrary, it highlights a narrative sometimes deemed too scattered, despite some spectacular scenes, the actors' performances, and John Williams' music. This mixed reception perhaps illustrates the project's unique nature: a film that borrows from grand spectacle but ultimately prefers contemplation to visual shock.
At 79, Spielberg has thus created a work that looks towards the future without ceasing to question the present, faithful to an idea he has defended for decades: the unknown is often another way of talking about humans.
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