Passion can be one hell of a drug. Pouring all of your energy, over many months, into a feature film is no small task, and it’s incredibly admirable. Whether a film works for me or not, it’s easy to appreciate it when you can feel the passion behind it. Even the most passion and best intentions for a film can still lead to a lackluster final product.

Video Vision follows Kibby (Andrea Figliomeni), a young woman who works at a tape-transferring, old-tech restoration business in Manhattan. Her boss, Rodney (Shelley Valfer), is an older man who is set in his ways. After hearing that Kibby grabbed lunch with a customer, Gator (Chrystal Peterson), Rodney tries to push Kibby into stepping out of her comfort zone. Shortly after Kibby takes a chance on a new relationship, she’s inundated with horrible visions and insane body horror at the virtual hands of Dr. Analog (Hunter Kohl). Can Kibby survive this maniacal doctor and save her relationship? Or will she end up as obsolete as an 8-track player?

Writer/director Michael Turney takes a few bold chances with Video Vision, but it still feels a little too messy for a second feature film. It’s clear that Turney is on the right track with this film, but this script is just completely overwritten. Every scene plays out the same way where something vaguely spooky happens, then Kibby and Gator start to argue, and then they sort of make up. It becomes frustrating when these scenes are repeated over and over with the same lines regurgitated in new ways.

It’s easy to admire the relationship between Kibby and Gator. Still, it would have been more enjoyable to watch their relationship play out through trials and tribulations rather than hearing their relationship play out. The dialogue becomes frustrating very quickly. That being said, Turney has a very interesting concept on his plate here, but that great concept is overshadowed by the endless droning of Kibby and Gator. However, it should be mentioned that Andrea Figliomeni and Chrystal Peterson are incredible actors and they do their best with the given dialogue. There’s this one scene that takes place at night in Kibby’s bedroom, which is nearly dialogue-free and sweet, emotional, and raw. Video Vision would have landed on its two feet if it had utilized Figliomeni and Peterson more as actors and less as line readers.

Visually, Video Vision is a treat for the corneas. Blackout cinematographer Collin Brazie takes the scenes where visual storytelling is prominent, making it a delight to watch. Brazie navigates the claustrophobic corridor of Rodney’s video shop easily, while finding ways to make Kibby look and feel isolated on the large Manhattan city streets. The best decision Turney made was to keep the film as practical as possible. Digital effects should never replace practical, it should be used to elevate practical effects when needed. The boys over at Feast Effects, Nick Poyner and Alex Hollenbach, created some juicy, stomach-churning, face-peeling body horror effects that are seamlessly integrated with elevating digital enhancements.

Video Vision spends most of its time talking at you rather than letting you explore the film’s impressive visuals. As someone who loves mumblegore films, I don’t mind when there is a lot of dialogue. But when the dialogue is as repetitive as this film was, it doesn’t help push the story forward; it just feels like a time extender. If you can get past the dialogue, you’ll be in for a film with an incredible concept and some excellent body horror.

The idea of Ufology, and aliens/intelligent life from beyond our galaxy, has long intrigued me. I have always humored the idea, but it wasn’t until a recent UAP sighting that the tiny bit of skepticism I had flew out the window. Recently, I interviewed United States Air Force veteran Jeremy McGowan, who had a life-changing UAP encounter in the Jordanian desert in the 90s while on assignment. One thing we discussed, which is also the idea surrounding a documentary McGowan was in called Alien Endgame, was the possibility that there are more UAP encounters around areas storing nuclear items. The UFO’s of Soesterberg contributes even more to that truth.

The UFO’s of Soesterberg is a documentary that follows many people in the town of Soesterberg in the Netherlands. Director Bram Roza chronicles the sightings of UFOs throughout the town in 1979 while putting the majority of the focus on the soldiers of the Soesterberg Air Base who witnessed a large black triangular UFO in the sky. Told through talking heads, UAP site visits, and gorgeous hand-drawn animations, this documentary tells the truths of the residents of Soesterberg in a way that feels fresh and unique.

Let’s get my singular issue with this documentary out of the way. This is in no way a character assassination of one of the interviewees who says he remembered his encounter after undergoing regression therapy. However, the idea of regression therapy is quite dubious. The definition of it, which was reviewed by Dr. Michael MacIntyre, even says the purpose of it is to “guide[s] people to remember past events.” Regression therapy is taking small bits of information and forming an idea for the patient to make them think it was their own. I think Bram Roza could have picked a different person to be a part of this story.

The UFO’s of Soesterberg (2023)

It’s easy to understand why people had previously been afraid to come forward with their truths. Being labeled a cook or a whackjob when revealing an encounter was par for the course. But in 2024, that is far from the case. The search for the truth, and the endless hope for disclosure that will never come from our government, is one of the few things that can bring political parties together. When will you see AOC and Matt Gaetz on the same side of something? The only time I’ve seen them communicate peacefully was when United States Air Force veteran David Grusch (UAPTF, AARO), United States Navy veteran Ryan Graves (ASA), and United States Navy veteran Commander David Fravor sat before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and blew the whistle with salacious claims of non-human biologics being covered up by the government.

Roza’s inclination to tell these stories of Netherland Air Force veterans works twofold. If there were ever a group of people to believe on the topics of UAPs, it’s people in the military and the police. These groups of people must be as objective as possible to do their jobs properly, so when someone like Ryan Graves, Jeremy McGowan, or the veterans of Soesterberg, tell their stories, it adds a whole new level of credence. The UFO’s of Soesterberg doesn’t just tell the story of Dutch military members, it also tells the story of some townsfolk who also had experiences around the same time. If anything, Roza uses the story of military members to make the townspeople’s stories hold more water. I can already see the reviews, “Where are the scientists refuting this information?” We don’t need it! I don’t care what Sean Kirkpatrick said in his AARO report, it’s clear there is something far beyond the reach of our technology.

The use of animation, too, adds a level of beauty and class. UAP and alien encounter documentaries have been brainwormed by The History Channel, A&E, The Travel Channel, and Animal Planet. They overlay these talking heads with garish dramatic recreations with porn-level acting and first-time filmmaker-level vignettes. Roza’s addition of hand-drawn retellings of these stories brings a finesse that most documentaries about UAPs wish they could capture.

If you’re looking for a fun and engaging documentary about alien encounters, then The UFO’s of Soesterberg will be right up your alley. If you are a skeptic who nitpicks every single aspect of experiences you should also check it out. If you don’t want to believe, then you won’t. It’s as simple as that. But if you believe in something bigger than yourself, bigger than us, then this documentary is the right pick for you.