'The encounter': Amazon's new surprise success uses elements of the science fiction of invasions in a curious intimate history

It is inevitable to start a criticism of 'The meeting', which has sneaked into this week in the most watched the most watched of Amazon Prime Video, with a previous warning: although this film by Michael Pearce uses elements of the science fiction of alien invasions, variant ultra -corps hidden under the appearance of normal humans, the film is not gender cinema to use.His secret is revealed in the middle of the film, but it is inevitable to talk about him, so moderate spoilers from here.

Pierce starts its history with stimulating images of rains of star bodies on Earth, and parasites of alien origin that are introduced into insect organisms.And from there to the human body.Not even five minutes have passed and we already know the nature of the invasion, which quickly feels the difference of 'the encounter' with other films with similar arguments, where revelations are usually much more progressive.

Since the time of 'Mars' invaders' or' the invasion of bodies thieves' in the fifties, the narration of ultra -corner stories starts with suspicions, with small clues where humans realize the invasion and their reach, and try to stop it.Here from the minute one we will meet Malik (Riz Ahmed), Marine aware that invading insects are taking over humanity.In fact, he enters his ex-wife's house in the middle of the night and takes his two young children, since their mother has also become one of them.

And so, father and children start a car trip in the direction of a base where the little ones will be protected and a cure is sought.For more than half an hour, the escape is scored by the conventions of the genre: everyone is suspicious, anyone can be an invader.A policeman stops them: unconscious obstacle of the risk that runs their species or invader making use of force?Until a very special character makes its appearance: Malik says he will call the base, but he really calls the supervisor of his probation, played by Octavia Spencer.

Interior invasion

Before this exclusive film for Amazon, Michael Pearce had shot an oppressive suspense drama, 'Beast', a splendid study of closed communities and their vices, and that at all times maintained an ambiguity that shines in the best moments of 'meeting'.There is a central section in the film in which the viewer suspects what is happening and Pearce continually changes the point of view of the narrative.

Thus, he jumps from the terrified perspective of Malik's children -who trusts what his father tells and that although they are forced to mature to tromicons, they live the trip suspecting all strangers with whom they cross -to that of Malik himself-at that Ahmed injected from a very special bitter humor, such as when he tells his children that they are heavily infected by listening to K-Pop-.And all this scored by the cold and realistic perspective of the forces of order and sanity, gradually entering the story...Or are they camouflaged invaders?

It is in these ambiguous moments where the film finds a very unique personality, which is partially spoiled in a final stretch somewhat ramplón and lazy.Until then, the film has flirted with the Body Horror (the insect plans kicking behind the eyeballs, the nightmare with the police, the documentary's own start about the daily fright of nature) and even with cult films such as theIncredible 'Bug' by William Friedkin, with whom he shares moments of terrifying Paranoia picajosa in bad death motels.

Surely there will be those who find 'the encounter' disappointing and unworthy of being treated as gender cinema.But along the way, some stimulating reflections on collective paranoia and the most intimate fears as the authentic engine of fictions that have marked pop culture fall.At that time, intuitive and nothing discursive, the film finds a personality that makes it one of the most unclassifiable and daring proposals of the Prime Video catalog.