Throughout history, countless people have reported mysterious light displays and other unexplained phenomena in the sky. Others claim to have been abducted by these unidentified flying objects, and they share eerily similar stories of intimate encounters with the alien beings that inhabit them. Government officials and skeptics have long denied the veracity of these tales, but their efforts have done little to quell the popular belief that we've been visited by intelligent life forms from worlds far beyond our own. The engrossing documentary Close Encounters challenges the likelihood of these claims through the prism of scientific reasoning.
The film establishes its premise by speaking with direct participants or peripheral students of three of the most notorious UFO sightings in recorded history.
In the winter of 1980 outside Suffolk, England, unexplained clusters of light streaked across the sky in the vicinity of a United States Air Force base. Several servicemen in the area bore witness to these mysterious displays. Known as the Rendlesham Forest incident, the event has inspired equal doses of skepticism and cries of government cover-up.
A similar sighting occurred nearly two decades later in Arizona as thousands of spectators described a triangular formation of lights moving across the length of their state line with Mexico. Some even testified to witnessing a V-shaped spacecraft in flight, including the state's own governor.
Finally, the documentary tackles the granddaddy of all purported UFO sightings: Roswell. The government's admitted misinformation campaign in the wake of this event – conducted for national security purposes during the height of the Cold War - has only intensified the convictions of those who feel we're not alone.
In addition to these intriguing case studies, the film offers an impressive roster of knowledgeable interview subjects, including theoretical physics professor Dr. Michio Kaku, as they postulate on the possibilities of alien visitation. Is it scientifically feasible for an alien life form to make the long journey to our planet? What kind of spacecraft could accommodate such a trip through space and time? How likely is it that alien beings could survive within our unique environment? The truth is out there, and many of the answers provided in Close Encounters may surprise you.