COMMUNION

US, 1989, 101 minutes, Colour.
Christopher Walken, Lindsay Crouse, Frances Sternhagen.
Directed by Philippe Mora.

Communion is based on a best-seller by Whitley Streiber. Like The Amityville Horror, it claims to be a true story. Whitley Streiber himself wrote the screenplay and the central character is Whitley Streiber and the film is about his experiences with aliens. However, its credibility is not very strong - despite a whole lot of information given, especially at the end, about the truthfulness of the experiences.

The film was directed by Philippe Mora (Mad Dog Morgan, Captain Invincible, as well as the American horror films Howling II, The Beast Within and the Australian Howling III). Christopher Walken gives an off-keyed performance as Whitley Streiber - perhaps indicating the almost schizophrenic nature of his experiences. His performance seems to put the portrayal of his wife by Lindsay Crouse also somewhat askew. Frances Sternhagen as the hypnotist is much more reliable in her role.

The film is about a write, his paranormal experiences, his dreams about aliens, the dreams of his son, the remembering of these experiences by hypnosis, his joining in a group to share similar experiences. It is over to the audience to believe it or not.

1.True story? Fiction? UFOs and aliens? Psychology? The credibility of such events? Mental disturbance? Fantasy?

2.New York settings, the New York countryside? The real world? The aliens and their reality, artificiality - leather skins, inert masks? Their appearance, thin and fat? Their behaviour? Light and mechanisms? Credibility? Special effects? Musical theme and score?

3.The focus on Whitley Streiber? The writing of his book? Subjective perspective, his experiences? Leading to the writing of the book (and the making of the film)? The information at the end? Christopher Walken credible as Streiber or not?

4.Audience response to aliens, UFOs? The mysterious plan of the aliens? The crowded universe and expanding into the galaxies? The aliens absorbing human behaviour, mimicking? The magic show? Television sayings? Sinister behaviour, friendly behaviour? The discussion group, their experiences of aliens, as victims or not?

5.Whitley in himself, writing his book, the computer and the odd behaviour? Love for his family? Electricity and blackouts? The house at night? The effect on him? His friends going for the holiday, the light, their deciding to leave? Andrew and his dreams? Talking things over with Anne? Unwilling for psychological assessment? Going to Janet, the resistance to the hypnosis, his agreement? Resistance in going to the group, its effect on him, the effect on Anne? The return to the country house, the memories? His philosophising with Anne about the aliens, their gift? The ease of writing the book? His future?

6.Anne, her love for her family, ordinary, the experiences, the worry, going to the group and its bad effect, her own hypnosis and her fears, her philosophising about the gift?

7.Andrew and his age, relationship with his parents, his dream experiences, inheriting this from his father? The flashbacks to Whitley's youth and his always having these experiences?

8.The friends, their visit to the countryside, the night, the light, the effect on them and their going?

9.Janet, her skills, hypnosis, the group, the background of her study, her house and the artwork? Her helping in therapy?

10.The aliens and their purpose, the fright, the stripping of Whitley, taking his powers? Andrew? Anne?

11.The psychosis nature of Whitley's experiences? Hallucinations? Their effect on his behaviour and being in touch with reality?

12.Close encounters or psychosis?