Disclosure Day

Next up in my double feature last night was Disclosure Day and I was so excited because it was one of my most anticipated movies of 2026.  It did not disappoint!  With the world on the brink of another war, Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), a cybersecurity specialist for the Wardex Corporation who has stolen a piece of alien technology and multiple digital files documenting secret interactions between aliens and humans, and Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a TV meteorologist who discovers latent abilities to empathize with people and communicate with them in languages she doesn't understand including an alien language, form an inexplicable bond based on their own experiences with aliens.  Wardex, a covert arm of the U.S. government, has kept all of these alien interactions a secret in order to reverse engineer their technology for monetary gain and the CEO, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), uses the government's vast resources to pursue them in order to recover the files.  Daniel and Margaret are eventually aided by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), another whistleblower from Wardex, and they decide to release the files to the world after they realize that humanity needs the message offered by the aliens.  I really loved the story because it is filled with so much hope and I think that is something that is really needed right now.  The third act, especially, is really affecting and I was absolutely riveted. I also really enjoyed all of the action sequences because Daniel and Margaret have some close calls as federal agents chase them from place to place and having Scanlon use alien technology to form a bond with Daniel's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) to get her to betray their location adds a lot of tension, particularly during a car chase to get away from the farmhouse where they have been saying.  I really liked the more subdued and atmospheric score by John Williams because it creates a sense of unease but it is also incredibly emotional.  Finally, the entire cast is outstanding and Blunt gives a career-best performance but I was incredibly impressed by Hewson (Jane's character arc is my favorite because she wrestles with the theological implications of knowing that we are not alone).  This will undoubtedly be one of my favorite movies this year but people who are expecting a sci-fi thriller about aliens might be disappointed with the more contemplative tone.