The Disclosure Day: Spielberg's UFO film divides the ufology community

The Disclosure Day: the Spielberg film ufologists adore and mainstream audiences reject

Steven Spielberg's latest work, released in 2026, has produced a curious phenomenon: while the average viewer leaves the theater feeling they have watched an oversized episode of a paranormal TV show, trinc of the UFO phenomenon rank it among the deepest films ever made about extraterrestrial contact. What does it contain that ignites such passion?

A canvas of ufological references

For anyone familiar with the field's literature —from Jacques Vallée to the Caravaca cases— every scene is loaded with nods. The film does not offer a Hollywood invasion, but a mental theater staged by gray entities that read the protagonists' minds and project their archetypes, a concept that points directly to Vallée's so-called "absurdity factor." Those who lack those keys run into a plot that seems to lead nowhere.

The Nixon scene that sparks controversy

One of the most debated passages shows Richard Nixon showing the Roswell corpses to a TV host. Critics dismissed it as a caricature, but ufological analysts maintain the episode is rigorously historical: Nixon revealed state secrets to a comedian to impress him, and as a result the military establishment decided to stop briefing presidents. The film takes up that debate and turns it into a narrative weapon against official credulity.

The ending everyone remembers

The final minutes, described by writer Javier Sierra as the film's pinnacle, condense Spielberg's thesis: non-violent communication and listening as the only viable channel with the unknown. The closing "listen," though lukewarm for some, is a direct homage to contactee theories and the empathetic current of ufology.

Are we looking at a cult masterpiece or an exercise in self-indulgence for initiates? The answer depends on how many UFO books you keep on your nightstand.