Marketed as a grown-up DAZED AND CONFUSED meets CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. WELCOME TO EARTH focuses on a bunch of 20 and 30-something friends who attempt to make sense of the changing world around them while at the same time dealing with their own personal issues. 

The main characters have an incredible sense of depth. They are clearly stressed, not only by the most important event in world history, but by their individual loss of control. The film deals with various losses of control from global (not understanding the alien visitors’ true motives and being helpless) to the more mundane loss issues such as pregnancy, divorce and relationship insecurities.  The film is very well paced thanks to Mongillo’s adept direction. The action takes place in the course of one night at one central location which helps the audience feel as if they are invited guests to the big shindig. 

The real kudos should go to the wealth of talent which makes up the cast of WELCOME TO EARTH.  The character, Albert, played brilliantly by Zeke Rippy can’t seem to get over the divorce of his wife even though it’s been two years. Albert is a hard-shelled cynic who hates hearing anything positive about relationships that are not his own. Jack, played by actor Jason Alan Smith, is the boy who refuses to grow up. Preferring to avoid confrontation with his significant other by cracking dumb jokes rather than working things out. Pete, played by Davis Mikaels (formerly of Mr. Mongillo’s project, THE WIND) plays his character as a hedonistic, capitalistic, Yuppie-wannabe. The rest of the talented cast play equally well as individuals who are so caught up in their own minutiae they can’t appreciate the greatest event the world has ever known. Or are the self-absorbed attitudes of these characters merely a protective shield, a safety net to deal with something bigger than every life-form on earth?

Mongillo’s choice of eclectic character types helps to make the film poignant. The friends have serious baggage which, at times, almost overshadows the tangible event of aliens from space making first contact. Mr. Mongillo’s last independent film, THE WIND (also shot entirely in Connecticut) explored horror with the wind as a metaphor for the evil that men do. With WELCOME TO EARTH the insecurities, frustrations and hatred are balanced with a quirky sense of humor. Albert’s gloom-and-doom personality juxtaposed with his promise to change his attitude even though it’s still very much a part of him is funny. Pete’s uber-salesman approach to selling expensive cars extends to a laughable suggestion that he might even sell cars to the aliens to make a quick buck. Pete is all show and no substance. Take away the talk of money and cars and there’s really nothing interesting about Pete.

Mr. Mongillo, a Meriden native, is hoping that WELCOME TO EARTH will be his breakout success.  At a cost of $30,000 to make (an amount which would have been much greater had it not been for the altruistic cast and crew working for far less than normal) the film is a big gamble. Private screenings so far have been positive. Early indications are that director Mike Mongillo has a lot to be happy about. But the ultimate pat on the back moment will be a theatrical release that Mongillo is pushing for. If not, he’ll be content with straight to DVD release (THE WIND is doing quite well and can be found on Amazon and rented through Netflix).

Mongillo says his passion and philosophies of filmmaking are what keep him going. “Making WELCOME TO EARTH reminded me to stay true to my vision and to believe in my choices as a writer and filmmaker.” The Connecticut native lists filmmakers Sam Raimi and John Carpenter as two of his favorite directors. Mongillo enjoys delving into the world of science fiction, having been a fan of the genre most of his life. Making movies is obviously a cathartic experience for him.  He likes working with the same core of crew members and talent. Mongillo gives a bit of behind the scenes trivia on actor Jason Alan Smith who played Jack. “Jason does a spot on impersonation of Christopher Walken,” says Mongillo. “He did it so much that it began to annoy his fellow cast members.  But Jim Charbonneau (one of the screenwriters) and I never got tired of it.” 

Although billed as a Sci-Fi dramatic comedy, W2E is  a very well written and humorous film about how we humans see ourselves. The aliens arriving on earth is not nearly as important as these life-long friends working through their problems. As the night goes on, they do just that. It’s also gratifying to see that Mr. Mongillo also likes hiring Connecticut crews and talent as much as shooting movies here. The actors, by the way, have all gone on to bigger productions. Actor Davis Mikaels, who played Pete, has a recurring role on NBC’s “Joey.” He plays Jennifer Coolidge’s assistant. Kate Orsini, who plays Jill, recently starred opposite Michael Pare in GARGOYLES on the Sci-Fi Network.  She also just finished a film by producer Robert Zemeckis. And Jason Alan Smith, who played Jack, just co-starred in the John McCain biopic FAITH OF MY FATHERS and also as Elvis Presley in the upcoming feature CRAZY.

For more information on the film, go to www.welcometoearthmovie.com and, until then, watch the skies.  

Stephen M. Emirzian is a video producer from Canton, CT.