Unidentified Objects: Road Trip Encounters of the Third Kind

MOVIE INFO:

Peter is a misanthropic dwarf hiding from the world in his shabby New York City apartment. But an unexpected visit from his upbeat–and possibly unhinged–neighbor Winona forces him out of his shell and onto an impromptu road trip. Their destination? What she believes to be the site of an upcoming alien visitation in the wilderness of rural Canada. On their increasingly-surreal odyssey, Peter and Winona will encounter bickering lesbian cosplayers, shroom-addled survivalists, and even extraterrestrial highway cops. But the further they go and the more their trauma comes to light, it becomes clear that the only thing more nerve-wracking than being abducted is being alone in the universe.

REVIEW:

Unidentified Objects, a road trip film about a gay dwarf- Peter (Matthew Jeffers) and an imagined UFO abductee- Winona(Sarah Hay), is more interested in inner space than outer space. Juan Felipe Zuleta in his first non-music video feature plays around with visions of alien abductions and close encounters of the third kind to burrow into the little person’s mind, to expose his self-image, perceptions and feelings. The abduction spot Winona is so eager to return to is just a means to explore Peter’s formative isolation. He has queer anxiety dreams and hallucinations about alien cops interrogations that leave him stripped naked and alone, reveries about slow dancing in a dive bar with the hoped for man of his dreams, only to be rejected and humiliated by the Desiree, when Peter sums up the courage to make an advance. The dreams are feelings of isolation, ALIEN-nation coming to the fore, all the causes of his subliminal hate and misanthropy exploding outward.

Peter is a recluse, with lots of medical debt, physical pain, and rage for the world. He agrees to accompany Winona to her alien rendezvous in Canada partly for the money, but mostly for the need for connection. The road trip does provide Peter that human union and an opportunity for therapy, to heal his guilt and anger impetuses. He quizzes Winona to determine whether her abduction stories pass the smell and sniff test. Her personality is bubbly and nonexistent beyond being the fulfillment of latant sexual dedires. In her pre-abduction life she was a sex worker.

There is the possibility that Winona doesn’t even exist beyond being an imaginary friend for Peter. Their fears and isolation parallel each other very closely. Zaluta is always blurring the line between reality and dream when it comes to Peter, constantly pushing his past and emotions to the forefront, confronting him all the time. In the enclosed space of a car there is no room to hide from your inner self, grief, anger and guilt. That Peter eventually comes to some winderous acknowledgement of himself, outer humanity, is the small simple smile cast by a winking Andromeda Galaxy. Call it aliens. Call it God.

Matthew Jeffers performance easily allows us to identify with Peter, even as he angrily struggles with that identity- his sexuality, guilt. Zaluta guides Jeffers with a slow, patient, thoughtful touch. Zaluta encourages Jeffers to use his expressive eyes, modulated expressions, body language to uncork the entire range of Peter, to show us what has been bottled up for too long. At one point, I felt Peter will never open up. That is, until you see how his abduction visions expose his fear and IRL, soften his temper, so he can form a connection and trust with Winona, essentially his better, other self. It allows us to see his dimensions and reality. And why this inner space journey of his is worth watching.