Lunopolis (2009) Peeks into the Future…and the Past
Pranksters, wanna have some fun? Buy or rent Lunopolis and invite some of your more gullible conspiracy-theory friends over for a viewing, but don’t tell them that it’s not really a documentary.
Queue the movie up so that they don’t see the menu or opening titles, and play it for them. By the end of the film, they will believe that time travelers from the moon are running history on earth. The effect is even better if your guests are well supplied with beer. (I have at least three family members who would fall for this—even without beer.)
Lunopolis is a faux documentary filmed in Louisiana, where anything is possible. Two filmmakers follow up on a strange late night call to a radio station. The caller is nearly raving and two days later a box of odd items shows up at the station. Its contents lead the filmmakers to a strange underground facility from which they can’t help taking a couple of souvenirs. (If we’ve learned anything from Dick Tracy, it’s that moonmen don’t like people touching their stuff.)
Even more effective than the believable pseudo-science in Lunopolis are the interviews with experts, former members of the Church of Lunology (yes, you know who we mean), and a variety of others. This is textbook documentary interviewing—the comments, the inflections, the expressions, even the body language. The “candid” moments, when the two filmmakers’ comments are caught by the videographer, also add to the verisimilitude.
Lunopolis is a little bit Michael Moore, a little bit Blair Witch, and a lot of fun if used correctly. Don’t forget to shut it off before the credits roll. (DVD and Blu-ray release date: October 11, 2011)
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