Hobby investigators Mark Christopher Lee and Guy Thompson ascertain: “this is the British Roswell”. In December 1980, several US Air Force personnel saw mysterious lights in the sky of the Rendlesham Forest (in Suffolk, England), followed by a possible encounter in the forest. This became one of the most iconic purported UFO events in British and world history, often compared to the Roswell Sightings (the world’s most famous UFO sighting, which took place in New Mexico in 1947). The forest is now a regular tourist stopover, with its own hiking path and a UFO installation (pictured above) at the supposed landing spot. There have also been further phenomena and sightings up until the 1990s and 2000s, on which the two men wish to follow up.
The two directors Mark Christophe Lee and Roderick Godman (note: only one of the directors, Lee, steps in front of the camera) create a sombre atmosphere with light installations shining through the trees, giving the impression of a craft hovering in the sky. They combine archive footage of scientists, generals and other eyewitnesses into an insightful montage. They seek serious and reliable recounts of the sightings, while also having a jolly good time wandering through the forest, looking for signs of extraterrestrial activity.
The two leads are charming and entertaining. They keep audiences hooked for most of the film’s extensive duration of nearly two hours (115 minutes). It is amusing to watch them look for radiation signs with the investigation equipment (metal detectors and dousing rods) firmly to hand, or try to communicate with alleged extraterrestrials through meditation. At one point, Lee finds a centuries-old metal piece in the ground. Viewers are left wondering what may have happened there: is this related to aliens, or to earlier civilisations?
The filmmakers never commit to a clear stance. Are they actual believers, or are they just toying with audiences? At times, it feels like The Rendlesham UFO – The British Roswell is a just an excuse for men to become boys again, and play in the woods – even if the pints of Guinness are not suitable for the consumption of minors. Some aspects of filmmaking are amateurish, particularly in the field of sound: their voice level of the two men is often too low as they wonder through the forest, and the mixing is rather shabby.
The prospect of a close encounter of a fifth kind is always an exciting one. The tone and the aesthetic of the film however suggest this is one million light years from happening.
The Rendlesham UFO – The British Roswell just saw its world premiere at the 33rd edition of Raindance, which takes place between June 18th and 27th.
