The Fourth Kind
Encyclopedia
The Fourth Kind is a 2009 American mockumentary
science fiction
film starring Milla Jovovich
, Charlotte Milchard
, Elias Koteas
, Will Patton
, and Mia McKenna-Bruce. The title is derived from the expansion of J. Allen Hynek
's classification of close encounter
s with aliens, in which the fourth kind denotes alien abductions.
The film purports to be based on actual events occurring in Nome, Alaska
in 2000, in which psychologist Dr. Abigail Emily "Abbey" Tyler uses hypnosis to uncover memories from her patients of alien abduction, and finds evidence suggesting that she may have been abducted as well. The film has two components: dramatization, in which professional actors portray the individuals involved, and video footage purporting to show the actual victims undergoing hypnosis. (At some points in the film, the "actual" and dramatized footage is presented alongside each other in split-screen.) Throughout the film, Abbey is shown being interviewed on television during 2002, two years after the abductions occurred.
The film was a box office success, earning US$47.46 million worldwide, from an estimated $10 million budget.
hosts a televised interview with psychologist
Dr. Abigail Tyler (Charlotte Milchard
& Milla Jovovich
). She tells a story of a close encounter
incident at Nome, Alaska
, in October 2000.
In August 2000, Tyler's husband, Will Jammeson, is mysteriously murdered one night in his sleep, leaving her to raise their two children, Ashley (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and Ronnie (Raphael Coleman
).
Tyler tapes hypnotherapy
sessions with three different patients, all of whom have the same experience: every night they see a white owl staring at them through their windows. Tyler puts two of the three patients under hypnosis, and while under, both patients recount similar terrifying stories of creatures attempting to enter their homes. Tommy Fisher (Corey Johnson
), her first patient to go under hypnosis, returns home, kills his family and commits suicide.
After hearing the similarities in the accounts of nightly occurrences, Abbey suspects these patients may have been victims of a non-human kidnapping
. There is evidence that she herself may have been abducted. Dr. Abel Campos (Elias Koteas
), a psychologist from Anchorage
and Tyler's colleague, is suspicious of the claims. Later, Tyler calls upon Dr. Odusami (Hakeem Kae-Kazim
), a specialist in ancient languages who was a contact of her late husband, to identify the mysterious language that is spoken during the supposed abductions. Odusami identifies the language as Sumerian
.
Later, Tyler's daughter, Ashley, is abducted and Sheriff August (Will Patton
), not believing in her abduction theory, accuses her of her daughter's disappearance. Tyler undergoes hypnosis in an attempt to make contact with these beings and reunite with her daughter. Campos and Odusami videotape the session, and once hypnotized, it is revealed that Tyler witnessed the abduction of her daughter. The camera scrambles, sounds of violence are heard in the background, and a volatile voice yells "Zimabu Eter!" which supposedly translates to "Spirit from whom you cannot be saved" in English.
The film cuts to an interview with Tyler in which she explains that all three were abducted during that hypnosis session and none have memory of what happened.
The film returns to the aftermath of Abbey's hypnosis session. She wakes up in a hospital after breaking her neck in the abduction. There, Sheriff August reveals that Will had actually committed suicide, showing that Abbey's belief that he was murdered was merely a delusion. Later it is shown that Abbey is paralyzed, presumably due to her neck injury.
In the film's epilogue, it states that Abbey was cleared of all charges against her, leaves Alaska for the East Coast, but still continues to search for Ashley. Campos remains a psychologist and Odusami becomes a professor at a Canadian university. Both men, as well as Sheriff August refuse to be involved with the interview, while Abbey's son Ronnie remains estranged from Abbey and still blames her for Ashley's disappearance. However, Ashley is never found. The TV host then leaves the conclusions up to the viewer.
During the credits, audio recordings of people recounting UFO sightings begin to play.
director Joe Carnahan
. The movie is set up as a re-enactment of the original documentary footage. It also uses "never-before-seen archival footage that is integrated into the film."
All the "original documentary footage" was shot by the filmmakers as part of the production. All the people in the "original documentary footage" were paid actors. The "real" Dr. Abigail Tyler is played by actress Charlotte Milchard. Dr. Tyler is not based on a real person.
The Fourth Kind was shot in Bulgaria
and Squamish, British Columbia
, Canada. The lush, mountainous setting of the Nome in the film bears little resemblance to the actual Nome, Alaska, which sits amidst flat tree-less tundra
on the shore of the Bering Sea
.
The film garnered controversy in Alaska when it created a fake website 'www.alaskanewsarchive.com' with a fake news story supposedly taken from the real Nome Nugget
and using the byline of the Nugget's editor, Nancy McGuire. The Alaska Press Club sued Universal on behalf of the Nugget and McGuire. Eventually settling out-of-court for $20,000.
story, there was a real string of disappearances in Nome. The FBI was brought in to investigate in 2005: "The FBI looked into about 20 cases, finding alcohol and frigid temperatures to be causes. Nine bodies were never found."
Rotten Tomatoes
, with the site's consensus being "While it boasts a handful of shocks, The Fourth Kind is hokey and clumsy and makes its close encounters seem eerily mundane."
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film starring Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
, Charlotte Milchard
Charlotte Milchard
Charlotte Milchard is a British actress who has received critical acclaim for her stage performances.-Biography:Milchard was born in Barking, United Kingdom on 13 December 1977, but spent the early years of her childhood living in Asia when her father's work as a scientist led the family to...
, Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
, Will Patton
Will Patton
William Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
, and Mia McKenna-Bruce. The title is derived from the expansion of J. Allen Hynek
J. Allen Hynek
Dr. Josef Allen Hynek was a United States astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific adviser to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three consecutive names: Project Sign , Project Grudge , and Project Blue Book...
's classification of close encounter
Close encounter
In ufology, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it was started by astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek, and was first suggested in his 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific...
s with aliens, in which the fourth kind denotes alien abductions.
The film purports to be based on actual events occurring in Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
in 2000, in which psychologist Dr. Abigail Emily "Abbey" Tyler uses hypnosis to uncover memories from her patients of alien abduction, and finds evidence suggesting that she may have been abducted as well. The film has two components: dramatization, in which professional actors portray the individuals involved, and video footage purporting to show the actual victims undergoing hypnosis. (At some points in the film, the "actual" and dramatized footage is presented alongside each other in split-screen.) Throughout the film, Abbey is shown being interviewed on television during 2002, two years after the abductions occurred.
The film was a box office success, earning US$47.46 million worldwide, from an estimated $10 million budget.
Plot
Chapman UniversityChapman University
Chapman University is a private, non-profit university located in Orange, California affiliated with the Christian Church . Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media...
hosts a televised interview with psychologist
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
Dr. Abigail Tyler (Charlotte Milchard
Charlotte Milchard
Charlotte Milchard is a British actress who has received critical acclaim for her stage performances.-Biography:Milchard was born in Barking, United Kingdom on 13 December 1977, but spent the early years of her childhood living in Asia when her father's work as a scientist led the family to...
& Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
). She tells a story of a close encounter
Close encounter
In ufology, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it was started by astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek, and was first suggested in his 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific...
incident at Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
, in October 2000.
In August 2000, Tyler's husband, Will Jammeson, is mysteriously murdered one night in his sleep, leaving her to raise their two children, Ashley (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and Ronnie (Raphael Coleman
Raphaël Coleman
Raphaël Coleman is a British teen actor, best known for his role as Eric Brown in Nanny McPhee.,-Films:*Nanny McPhee as Eric Brown*It's Alive as Chris Davis*"Edward's Turmoil" as Edward...
).
Tyler tapes hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a therapy that is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis.The word "hypnosis" is an abbreviation of James Braid's term "neuro-hypnotism", meaning "sleep of the nervous system"....
sessions with three different patients, all of whom have the same experience: every night they see a white owl staring at them through their windows. Tyler puts two of the three patients under hypnosis, and while under, both patients recount similar terrifying stories of creatures attempting to enter their homes. Tommy Fisher (Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson is an American actor largely active in the United Kingdom. Johnson was born John Johnson in New Orleans, Louisiana....
), her first patient to go under hypnosis, returns home, kills his family and commits suicide.
After hearing the similarities in the accounts of nightly occurrences, Abbey suspects these patients may have been victims of a non-human kidnapping
Abduction phenomenon
The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one’s will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures." People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees" or...
. There is evidence that she herself may have been abducted. Dr. Abel Campos (Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
), a psychologist from Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
and Tyler's colleague, is suspicious of the claims. Later, Tyler calls upon Dr. Odusami (Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Hakeem Kae-Kazim , sometimes credited as "Hakim Kae Kazim", is an actor who played Georges Rutaganda on Hotel Rwanda in 2004 directed by Terry George...
), a specialist in ancient languages who was a contact of her late husband, to identify the mysterious language that is spoken during the supposed abductions. Odusami identifies the language as Sumerian
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer, which was spoken in southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism...
.
Later, Tyler's daughter, Ashley, is abducted and Sheriff August (Will Patton
Will Patton
William Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
), not believing in her abduction theory, accuses her of her daughter's disappearance. Tyler undergoes hypnosis in an attempt to make contact with these beings and reunite with her daughter. Campos and Odusami videotape the session, and once hypnotized, it is revealed that Tyler witnessed the abduction of her daughter. The camera scrambles, sounds of violence are heard in the background, and a volatile voice yells "Zimabu Eter!" which supposedly translates to "Spirit from whom you cannot be saved" in English.
The film cuts to an interview with Tyler in which she explains that all three were abducted during that hypnosis session and none have memory of what happened.
The film returns to the aftermath of Abbey's hypnosis session. She wakes up in a hospital after breaking her neck in the abduction. There, Sheriff August reveals that Will had actually committed suicide, showing that Abbey's belief that he was murdered was merely a delusion. Later it is shown that Abbey is paralyzed, presumably due to her neck injury.
In the film's epilogue, it states that Abbey was cleared of all charges against her, leaves Alaska for the East Coast, but still continues to search for Ashley. Campos remains a psychologist and Odusami becomes a professor at a Canadian university. Both men, as well as Sheriff August refuse to be involved with the interview, while Abbey's son Ronnie remains estranged from Abbey and still blames her for Ashley's disappearance. However, Ashley is never found. The TV host then leaves the conclusions up to the viewer.
During the credits, audio recordings of people recounting UFO sightings begin to play.
Cast
- Milla JovovichMilla JovovichMilla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
as Dr. Abigail "Abbey" Tyler - Charlotte MilchardCharlotte MilchardCharlotte Milchard is a British actress who has received critical acclaim for her stage performances.-Biography:Milchard was born in Barking, United Kingdom on 13 December 1977, but spent the early years of her childhood living in Asia when her father's work as a scientist led the family to...
as the 'real' Dr. Abigail Tyler - Elias KoteasElias KoteasElias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
as Dr. Abel Campos - Will PattonWill PattonWilliam Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
as Sheriff August - Corey JohnsonCorey JohnsonCorey Johnson is an American actor largely active in the United Kingdom. Johnson was born John Johnson in New Orleans, Louisiana....
as Tommy Fisher - Hakeem Kae-KazimHakeem Kae-KazimHakeem Kae-Kazim , sometimes credited as "Hakim Kae Kazim", is an actor who played Georges Rutaganda on Hotel Rwanda in 2004 directed by Terry George...
as Awolowa Odusami - Enzo CilentiEnzo CilentiEnzo Cilenti is an English actor.He was born in Bradford to Italian parents. He is married to the actress Sienna Guillory, with whom he has appeared in several films.-Partial filmography:* Wonderland...
as Scott Stracinsky - Eric LorenEric LorenEric Loren is a London-based American actor and musician. He played Mr Diagoras and the Dalek Sec Hybrid in the long-running British TV series Doctor Who. He also played Kurtis Trent in Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness and a War Department Lieutenant in Saving Private Ryan...
as Deputy Ryan - Raphael ColemanRaphaël ColemanRaphaël Coleman is a British teen actor, best known for his role as Eric Brown in Nanny McPhee.,-Films:*Nanny McPhee as Eric Brown*It's Alive as Chris Davis*"Edward's Turmoil" as Edward...
as Ronnie Tyler - Mia Mckenna Bruce as Ashley Tyler
- Olatunde Osunsanmi as "Director" Olatunde Osunsanmi (Interviewer)
Production
This is the first major film by writer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi, who is a protégé of independent filmIndependent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
director Joe Carnahan
Joe Carnahan
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Carnahan is an American independent film director, screenwriter, producer and actor best known for his films Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, Narc, Smokin' Aces and The A-Team...
. The movie is set up as a re-enactment of the original documentary footage. It also uses "never-before-seen archival footage that is integrated into the film."
All the "original documentary footage" was shot by the filmmakers as part of the production. All the people in the "original documentary footage" were paid actors. The "real" Dr. Abigail Tyler is played by actress Charlotte Milchard. Dr. Tyler is not based on a real person.
The Fourth Kind was shot in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
, Canada. The lush, mountainous setting of the Nome in the film bears little resemblance to the actual Nome, Alaska, which sits amidst flat tree-less tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
on the shore of the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
.
The film garnered controversy in Alaska when it created a fake website 'www.alaskanewsarchive.com' with a fake news story supposedly taken from the real Nome Nugget
Nome Nugget
The Nome Nugget is a weekly newspaper published in Nome, Alaska. It is Alaska's oldest newspaper, established 1900.-External links:*...
and using the byline of the Nugget's editor, Nancy McGuire. The Alaska Press Club sued Universal on behalf of the Nugget and McGuire. Eventually settling out-of-court for $20,000.
Disappearances in Nome
According to a CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
story, there was a real string of disappearances in Nome. The FBI was brought in to investigate in 2005: "The FBI looked into about 20 cases, finding alcohol and frigid temperatures to be causes. Nine bodies were never found."
Critical reception
The Fourth Kind was panned by critics, garnering a 25% rating on review aggregatorReview aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, with the site's consensus being "While it boasts a handful of shocks, The Fourth Kind is hokey and clumsy and makes its close encounters seem eerily mundane."