Film Review

Anastacia Grenda

If it wasn’t a documentary, “Six Days in Roswell” could be mistaken for

one of those parody mockumentaries -- a “Spinal Tap” for alien lovers and

UFO worshipers.

The film follows Minnesota resident Rich Kronfeld as he travels to

Roswell for the 50th anniversary celebration of the spaceship crash that

gave the New Mexico town its identity. Kronfeld hopes to be abducted by

aliens, and the trip is his “research.”

The tired familiarity of the film’s subject matter and the earnestness

with which it portrays the people of Roswell -- the geeky “Star Trek”

fans, the freaky women coated in silver body paint and the entrepreneurs

peddling alien cookies and spacecraft mobiles are well-worn stereotypes

by now -- give the movie the feel of a put-on.

Even Kronfeld, our nominal guide in this wacky world, turns out to be a

Northeast eccentric on the order of “Fargo” -- he lives with his mom and

collects old audiovisual equipment.

There is some fine technical work, and Dweezil Zappa is credited as an

“additional musician.” It’s almost a shame the movie is fact, and not

fiction.

* “Six Days in Roswell” screens at 5:45 p.m. today at Edwards Island 7

Cinemas.