Watch the Skies (2022)

Movies about aliens are nothing particularly new, but this little-known Swedish production could be a game changer in several regards. Writer-director Victor Danell’s 2022 action-adventure sci-fi offering (originally titled “UFO Sweden”) tells the story of a rebellious teen (Inez Dahl Torhaug) who believes that her mysteriously disappeared father (Oscar Töringe), an ardent UFO researcher and leader of a cult-like group of eccentric investigators, is not dead but was, in fact, abducted by aliens, a claim she’s determined to prove. Armed with her dad’s research and aided by his band of onetime colleagues, most notably a former climate scientist (Jesper Barkselius), she sets out to fulfill her quest, one that often strains credibility and leaves her precariously teetering on the brink of the law. Her impassioned odyssey is presented through a cleverly constructed narrative that feels like a cross between “The X-Files” and “Scooby Doo,” an enticing supernatural mystery peppered with delightful quirkiness, touches of camp, dashes of Spielbergian wit and whimsy, and heart-tugging period nostalgia given its decade-long setting beginning in 1988. In addition, the film successfully incorporates a combination of colorful characters, ample action sequences and gentle comic relief, playing very much like one of the adventurous romps of the time frame in which it’s set. What truly sets this picture apart, however, is its highly effective use of a revolutionary new form of AI known as “immersive dubbing,” a technology that digitally adjusts the movements of the actors’ mouths to match newly supplied audio, making it appear as though performances originally delivered in Swedish look authentic when now spoken in dubbed-over English. Without a doubt, conventional dubbing is a production practice I’ve always seen as somewhat dubious, given its many inherent pitfalls, but the dubbing employed here is so seamlessly integrated that one cannot tell that the performances weren’t delivered in English from the outset. This is a cinematic development that holds the potential to dramatically change foreign language films for English-speaking audiences (particularly American viewers who generally loathe to read subtitles), thereby arguably opening an entirely new market for lesser-known but eminently worthwhile overseas releases that genuinely deserve wider domestic distribution. It’s difficult to say how readily this technology will be used by foreign filmmakers, but it gives them a new tool that may make their works more accessible and appealing to US audiences. Of course, immersive dubbing alone is no guarantee of artistic success for foreign offerings, as is even the case here to a certain degree in light of the film’s occasionally slow pacing in the first hour. But, as this story plays out, it becomes increasingly engaging, especially with the inspired twists and turns that emerge. It’s also interesting to note that several narrative carrots are dangled for viewers, suggesting the possibility for sequel(s) to continue this story in intriguing additional ways. “Watch the Skies” may not be perfect as sci-fi pictures go, but it represents a potential watershed moment in the annals of filmmaking and the entertainment potential of this genre, and, on those fronts alone, it deserves a watch, particularly for fans of science fiction and foreign releases. In the spirit of storied franchises like “Star Trek,” this could represent a journey where no one has gone before – and one that offers new vistas for the future of the movies.

Maybe my ear isn't actually that close to the ground when it comes to some hidden gems because Sweden's **WATCH THE SKIES** is a surprisingly enjoyable story about ufologists, belief, and how important it is to be a part of a community.-- and I haven't heard much buzz about it anywhere.

Sometimes out of boredom I will mentally employ the tombola technique and randomly select films for viewing that glide by during streaming scrolls.

What grabbed my attention almost immediately was the relief that the actors seemed to have shot all their scenes in English, albeit with regional Swedish accents throughout.

But even more shocking -- is that the film used state-of-the-art technology to digitally fuse what English-speaking audiences can hear with what they are seeing. Digital manipulation of the actor's mouths shows English words and phrases conjugating in English.

This might seem an insignificant feature, but for anyone who eschews foreign films for some bad dubbing (this doesn't apply to 1970s/1980s Jung Fu movies poorly dubbed -- those are sacrosanct! Hands off!) -- the effect of a bad dub can easily take the viewer out of the realism the film is trying to convey. I really welcome this.

About that technology:

Flawless is a US-based company that offers editing software for films to digitally dub actors' faces for dubbing work. (This presupposes that digital dubbing using Flawless' software can be converted into multiple languages around the world).

**WATCH THE SKIES** is the first film to release to streaming on Amazon Prime using this software -- and is only the sixth film released since 2023 using the software altogether -- giving me hope that more foreign films using this technology might be forthcoming for the platform.

But back to the film:

Others have adduced **WATCH THE SKIES** is really just **STRANGER THINGS** meets **INTERSTELLAR**, and that's not necessarily a bad thing at all. This is a especially evident with its themes of friendship, intergalactic separations and the quest to unlock the mysteries of the universe to be reunited with a long lost one.

Directed and co-written by Victor Danell -- the films introduces us to Denise (played wonderfully by Inez Dahl Torhaug), the daughter of a UFO obsessive who vanished one evening in the mountains trying to rendezvous with a potential sighting.

Years later, Denise is determined to reunite with her father, and ingratiates herself into a UFO club of local misfits who are just as eager as she is to hunt down proof of life beyond this world. Using the group to help her solve her father's mystery, Denise befriends ufologist, Lennart Svan (Jesper Barkselius) as they try to pinpoint patterns of seemingly anomalous events.

With fantastic camera work (most scenes are shot on night) -- this was a surprisingly good sci-fi actioner with intriguing possibilities (a sequel perhaps?) and the use of Flawless technology helps remove the stigma some may have about investing in foreign films.

A great film, streaming now on Amazon Prime.