Close Encounters: Chema García Ibarra’s UFOs 

Contemporary cinema has been trying to reclaim a certain punk attitude from B movies, a filmography less concerned with its technical means than with an attitude of radical construction of a universe that is both fantastical and, for that very reason, so close to us. Filmmakers such as French duo Jonathan Vinel & Caroline Poggi and Yann Gonzalez, or the Spanish Amalia Ulman have, each in its own way, sought to put a spin on film genres in a contemporary, pop, erudite – and often deeply cinephile – manner.  It is this very context in which we find the Spanish Chema García Ibarra’s UFOs, which embody many of the social and political transformations of Spain in the 21^st century.

In fact, Chema García Ibarra situates himself next to the people, filming them with a certainty that their virtue lies in the most spontaneous and free ways of being. If, at first glance, his movies owe more to this new camp tradition that incorporates a popular kitsch – where clothes, houses, or music are, from the outset, in bad taste according to bourgeois eyes –, the filmmaker looks at them with a kindness that is not condescending, instead looking for the most contradictory signs of a community facing its own fears, anxieties, and frustrations.

There is, undoubtedly, a place of special affection for David Lynch’s cinema, and “Twin Peaks”, less for its whodunit aspect and more for the eccentric invention of its characters. The whole paranormal iconography is indebted to the more popular background of these expressions, which often gives it a certain comic edge – something intentional in these films, but not made with the purpose of making fun of the characters, instead standing in awe with them.

Chema García Ibarra is a master of poised economical shots that let the story unfold, precisely causing the confusion between fiction and documentary. The use of non-professional actors, such as Jose Manuel Ibarra, a recurring presence in his movies, also adds to this confusion, which is yet enhanced by a careful mise-en-scène, pointedly highlighting iconic aspects of a popular culture (football, music, religiosity).

Daniel Ribas