'Disclosure Day': Are you ready to know everything? Well, Max Wilkinson isn’t going to tell you
Margaret Fairchild Played by Emily Blunt | Image by: Amblin Entertainment / Universal Pictures / Album / Alamy
4 min read
A neatly woven tale of empathy, theology and politics unfolding to the backdrop of the outbreak of war, Spielberg’s latest film is worth a watch – if present events aren’t dystopian enough for you already
Before the real world got a bit too edgy, I enjoyed dystopian fiction. These days I often find stories about a disturbing alternative present day less of a break from reality and instead more of a reminder.
When my wife asks me what we should watch, my stock response is: “Is there a new Jennifer Aniston rom-com?” Of course, I utter these words in hope more than expectation. The artist formerly known as ‘Rachel from Friends’ cannot keep pace with my ability to consume mindless but enjoyable yarns that require little effort and present almost no peril.
Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth)
Image by: Amblin Entertainment / Universal Pictures / Album / Alamy
My favourite is We’re the Millers. I’ve completed the rom-com genre on Netflix… and all the other entertainment services to which we subscribe. I tell myself that ‘achievement’ is testament to my excellent completer-finisher personality type.
But deep down I know it’s primarily because I cannot switch off my brain anymore. It’s also because since I became an MP, I increasingly pass the rare diary time I can retain for myself indoors, in the dark, with a low-to-zero chance of human contact.
Consequently, it was with some trepidation that I agreed to review Disclosure Day at Battersea Power Station cinema. But I didn’t get to be the MP for England’s premier spa town without saying yes to nearly every offer of a new task – just like Jim Carrey in another of my favourite rom-coms, Yes Man (though in truth I preferred the book, which was more rom and more com).
I suppose from a distance, Battersea Power Station can look a little like an interstellar ship. And critics say the urban design of the consumer paradise and adjacent Nine Elms development creates an alienating feel. You can get an even more dystopian experience if you enter via the filthy lift down from Chelsea Bridge – a piece of infrastructure that doesn’t meet the expense of the area or the quality of the cinema.
Should I tell you much more than that? Absolutely not
The Cinema At the Power Station offers a quality in stark contrast to that elevator. A soft reclining seat with a little round table was enough to accommodate my fizzy drink and Wild Strawberry Candy Kittens. These are ideal because there’s no loud crunch to annoy other viewers.
An attractive couple take their seats nearby. I assume they silently thank me in advance for not subjecting them to an auditory assault. Then we are reminded to turn off our phones before the film starts. There follows an image of an orb, which appears to be sending sound to all corners of the cinema, with an accompanying voiceover that states we are seeing “all the colours of the universe”. It’s a strong start by Spielberg’s aliens and I’m impressed.
Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) and Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor)
Image by: Ent-movie / Alamy
Alas, it is simply another advert. When that’s over, there’s another naming the founder members of the cinema. Frankly, as good as the cinema is, it seems unnecessary.
When the film finally begins, a neatly woven tale of action, morality, theology, empathy and politics unfolds to a backdrop of the outbreak of a world war. Is whistleblower Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) pursuing a just cause or is he a classic tinfoil hatter?
The conspiracy theorists in the real world reckon Disclosure Day is a psyop – natch. How did weather presenter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) learn Russian without her partner noticing? Something’s up, f’sure.
What is the moral lesson of Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth)? Perhaps he got lost while trying to save humanity. Perhaps not. All these thoughts whizzed through my brain alongside the content of a lecture I’d attended earlier in the day. A theologian had grappled with the big questions: the purpose of life; how to deal with getting old; and why we must all value each other regardless of age. The juxtaposition of appointments was accidental, but it created a neat segue. “Genesis says we are his supreme creation,” says Jane, Daniel’s girlfriend, to Sister Maura (Elizabeth Marvel). “On Earth,” replies the nun. “Why would God create such a vast universe, yet save it only for us?”
Should I tell you much more than that? Absolutely not. Instead, heed the warning of Margaret Fairchild: “You’re the man who knows everything. I’m not ready to know everything.” I enjoyed the film – that’s all.
Max Wilkinson is Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham
Disclosure Day
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Venue: General cinema release
