L'Arrivo di Wang

Italy • 2011 • 80m •

• Directed by: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti. • Starring: Ennio Fantastichini, Francesca Cuttica, Juliet Esey Joseph, Antonello Morroni, Li Yong, Jader Giraldi, Rodolfo Baldini, Furio Ferrari, Angelo Nicotra, Massimo Triggiani, Carmen Giardina, Marco Iannitello, Claudio Lullo. • Music by: Aldo De Scalzi, Pivio.

An extraterrestrial has arrived on earth and it is up to the State to find out its motive, in the meantime, the interpreter has concerns.

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When translator Gaia is contacted by a previous employer, he seems to be offering her nothing more than a simple job. Two thousand Euros for a day's work seems like a pretty good deal, but when the mysterious Curti insists she wear a blindfold to travel to their destination the suspicion sets in that this may be a little more than a simple translation gig. I shan't say anymore for fear of spoiling things, but my advice would be that if you intend to watch this film you avoid as much detail as possible. In fact, I'd advise you just stop reading and go watch the film now. For those of you who need a little more convincing then please read on, but you have been warned.

While clearly a low budget picture, The Arrival of Wang is never the less a good example of how less can sometimes be more. This is most evident in the first two thirds of the film, where most of the action takes place in one room. Providing us with a disturbing glimpse into how we as a race are inclined to treat things that we do not understand, the film does a great job of contrasting Gaia's horror and compassion with Curti's distrust of, and hatred for, alien prisoner Wang, who has been discovered on the streets of Rome. Lead actress Francesca Cuttica does a great job as Gaia throughout, and her dread of what Curti is going to do as Wang continues to plead his innocence is palatable at points. Many have compared this film to the likes of The Twilight Zone and The X Files, but for me it has more in common with Neil Blomkamp's excellent alien flick District 9, playing on those same themes of fear and distrust for those who appear different.

Of course, that's not to say this film is on the same level as that South African classic. The creature effects are passable when the alien is seated (and we are provided with some real expressions of fear and pain when he is under interrogation) but tend to fall apart when he is in motion. The direction is decent without ever being great, and the story feels a little rushed in place, crying out for a little more build up between the big reveal and more time to let the tension increase before the admittedly lacklustre last 15 minutes.

Buoyed along by some good performances, a good script and some uncomfortable reminders of what probably awaits for ET should he ever decide to set foot on our little rock, The Arrival of Wang is a decent example of low budget Sci Fi done right. For fans of the genre, and anyone who likes their science fiction a little more ambiguous, it's definitely worth checking out.

Review by FinalGuyHorror from the Internet Movie Database.

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