With a meandering first act, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day doesn’t do much, despite its leading stars giving their all. It’s a quiet beginning that’d make it easy to lose hope in the overarching story if you aren’t a fan of the director, genre, or the actors. The back and forth that takes us through different settings is an odd choice, but once Emily Blunt’s Margaret and Josh O’Connor’s Daniel start interacting, the story kicks into motion.
The back half is narratively so strong that you can’t help but let it dictate your overall feelings for the film. When I was ready to dismiss it as something that’s just okay, it quickly became a compelling examination of empathy, nudging me to remember the good ol say, “be curious, not judgmental.” Disclosure Day demands that its audience listen and that they do so closely. Emily Blunt’s last line in the film and the glimmer of hope she brings to life punctuate this very message with a scene that might haunt me for a while.
With that said, Blunt is undoubtedly the star of the film. Her prowess proves to be the perfect choice in casting, as the range she’s consistently able to deliver is no small feat and a strength that elevates every role she’s in with a depth that’s indescribable. It’s hard to imagine anyone else who could’ve filled these shoes and done such a remarkable job of keeping our eyes glued to the screen. Her work in the last act alone is absolutely sensational, making it that much more compelling to watch her alongside someone as incredible as O’Connor.
But really, the entire film is a winner where the cast is concerned. O’Connor, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Colin Firth, Wyatt Russell, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Tommy Martinez, Elizabeth Marvel, and every key player are excellent throughout. With Spielberg’s visual talent and this specific cast, there’s no way Disclosure Day wouldn’t be, at the very least, entertaining. Yet it’s so much more than that which makes it significant, and it’s the examination of empathy that leaves me in awe.
It’s the demand that we take things slowly, recognize what’s in front of us, and approach the unknown with heart. There’s a moment where Hewson’s Jane is talking to one of the elder nuns at the monastery, where she asks if God loves us all. The careful back and forth of that conversation is a brilliant balm in a world where Christianity is weaponized and there’s far more hatred inside the church than outside of it. The statement that God wouldn’t create such a vastness if he only loved one kind of being is so reassuring—so specifically healing if you’re a Christian who doesn’t agree with the teachings of the church that it’s a gut-punch I was specifically not expecting. And then came the blow of it all—”you haven’t lost faith in God, but in people,” Sister Maura says.
And while Christians know that perhaps we shouldn’t put our faith in people, it’s still impossible not to be discouraged and saddened by how vicious human beings have become. God isn’t a hateful God, yet his people have certainly made Him seem that way. The message about aliens—the unknown—and how humans approach everything that isn’t familiar to them is a cautionary tale about how much darker our world will become if we don’t start accepting that none of us are better or superior because of our race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. And yet, that’s a big thing to ask from the world. It’s too much. Almost every movie and TV show is attempting to do so right now because that’s how desperate we are for basic human kindness. Empathy.
Still, for what it’s worth, Disclosure Day is a solid summer blockbuster—an impactful reminder of our existence and our capabilities as human beings. We have a huge capacity to love. A huge capacity for empathy if we only allow ourselves the chance to be vulnerable. To feel. It’s all that there is, really.
Jurassic Park will forever reign as my personal favorite Spielberg film, but Disclosure Day is a close second. With exemplary performances, a compelling message, and achingly raw visuals, it’s a gift to know that there’s one director out there who isn’t utilizing AI to tell a remarkable story.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Universal Pictures