Mockumentary disorients and disturbs

Have you ever considered combining the horror mockumentary "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) and the extraterrestrial-crazed "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977)? Probably not, but merging the two classics would result in something like the somewhat disappointing "The Fourth Kind," which hit theaters last week. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, "The Fourth Kind" opens with a monologue by Milla Jovovich ("The Fifth Element") who plays the character of Dr. Abigail Tyler. But in this opening, she's not Dr. Tyler. She says, "I am Milla Jovovich, and I will be portraying Dr. Abigail Tyler.

"This film is a dramatization of events that occurred October 2000. Every scene in this movie is supported by archived footage. Some of what you are about to see is extremely disturbing."

The movie begins by following Dr. Tyler's story in Nome, Alaska. In the movie, the Alaskan city has a history of unexplained disappearances. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Tyler meets regularly with various Nome residents, many who describe strange experiences during the night. They all see a white owl, and hypnosis allows some patients to see even further into what might really be disturbing their minds - and it's a lot more than creepy owls.

The movie frequently flashes to an interview between a woman viewers are led to believe is the "real" Dr. Tyler and Osunsanmi. Probably in an attempt to make the film seem more like a true story, the actress's name for the "real" Dr. Tyler isn't on the cast list. In fact, a few discussions have risen on IMDB.com regarding who plays the "real" Dr. Tyler. If this sounds confusing, it's because it is.

This constant switching from a Hollywood film to a "real" film not only confuses the viewer intellectually, but the shaky camera and awkward angles disorient the audience. Perhaps the director did this to make viewers feel like they were watching a real home video, but it actually just caused frustration.

As the movie progresses, Dr. Tyler's story becomes more outrageous and unbelievable. Her story ends in a rather cliché format; let's just say it involves children and beams of lights coming from the sky.

While many aspects of "The Fourth Kind" are obviously unbelievable, the movie does convince viewers to think and consider the controversial issues surrounding aliens and abduction theories.

While much of the movie is complete fiction, a string of disappearances did occur in Nome, and FBI officials investigated the cases in 2005, concluding the disappearances were a result of alcohol and frigid temperatures. However, nine of the bodies were never found, according to a Nov. 6 article on CNN.com.

In the article, Nome's mayor stressed the importance of understanding the difference between reality and fiction. This blending of reality might confuse the audience but, minus those extreme cynics, might even convince viewers to go home and do a few Google searches to learn about Nome and alien abductions in general.

In the end, "The Fourth Kind" entertains by offering a fictional story but does little more. It certainly doesn't shed much truth on the case for aliens and abduction theories, but, at the very least, it forces the audience to consider what else might be out there in our universe. In fact, as Jovovich and Osunsanmi say in the film's ending monologue, what's real and what's fiction is, in the end, up to the viewer to decide.

haperra@sbu.edu