Steven Spielberg’s new film, Disclosure Day, explores the question of whether the public should be informed if aliens exist. The movie follows Josh O’Connor as a whistleblower who reveals a government cover-up about extraterrestrial life. It is Spielberg’s fourth alien-themed film, following Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, and War of the Worlds.
The story was inspired by the New York Times’ 2017 reporting on a secret Pentagon programme investigating unidentified aerial phenomena. Unlike Spielberg’s earlier alien films, Disclosure Day is described as a political thriller set in the 1970s, focusing on secrecy and the abuse of technology. Screenwriter David Koepp cited the 1975 film Three Days of the Condor as a reference point.
The film’s release is timely, given recent comments from former US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump about the existence of aliens. Obama said aliens were real during a podcast interview, while Trump promised to release government information on the search for alien life. The movie also features Colin Firth as the head of a shadowy contractor in possession of advanced mind-control technology.
Disclosure Day addresses how society might react to the revelation of alien life. Historical examples, such as H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds and Carl Sagan’s Contact, suggest that such news could cause panic or societal collapse. The film’s story is set against a fictional geopolitical crisis, reflecting current concerns about transparency and misinformation.
