Fire in the Sky
Is it possible to appreciate Robert Lieberman’s “Fire in the Sky” while also being skeptical of the veracity of Travis Walton’s story? In 1975, while on a logging job in Arizona, Walton disappeared. Five days later, he reappeared, and his story was that he was abducted by aliens. One of the strongest aspects of “Fire in the Sky” is how it leaves room for skepticism in what happened to Walton, while also respecting the truths of the characters. Not all of the performances are strong in it, but the vision Lieberman brings to it makes for a compelling story.
The notion of contact with aliens is built around several different notions. Meeting them in space reflects our ambitions to explore and discover new civilizations. Visitation on Earth is built out of dual ideas of not just something extraordinary happening to us, but also a fear of the unknown. “Fire in the Sky” begins with fear before leaving Travis in a place of peace with what happened to him, seeing the alleged events as traumatic, but also as something extraordinary, that left a mark on him forever. That sense of emotional truth for the character is what makes the film memorable. It is worth mentioning that, in 1993, Travis and two others resubmitted lie detector tests; all three passed.
“Fire in the Sky’s” subject is what happened to Travis Walton (played by D.B. Sweeney in a performance that really connects during a harrowing flashback sequence), but the main character is arguably his best friend, Mike Rogers (Robert Patrick). Travis’s wife is Mike’s sister, and- after Travis disappears- Mike must balance his own anxieties about his best friend with his sister’s anxiety, as well as the skepticism not just among their fellow logging team (including Allan Dallis (Craig Sheffer), David Whitlock (Peter Berg), Greg Hayes (Henry Thomas) and Bobby Cogdill (Bradley Gregg)) but also the town, and authorities like Lt. Frank Watters, an investigator from out of town played by the always affable James Garner. Lieberman and screenwriter Tracy Tormé (adapting from Walton’s book) walk a fine line between empathy and caricature when it comes to how they present the characters, and their small town. These could have been stereotypical “small town bumpkins,” but they are real people, and Patrick does the best work in the film at bringing Rogers to life.
In Act III of “Fire in the Sky,” Walton has returned, and everyone is grateful to see him. But he’s different since seeing that fire in the sky- the orange light that he got out of the truck Mike was driving to go towards- and vanishing. At a welcome home party, he has a breakdown, goes under the kitchen table, and- when a drop of syrup hits his face- we are thrown into a flashback of when he is abducted, and what his experience is like. In this sequence, “Fire in the Sky” becomes a horror film, with a production design, creature effects and cinematography (by Bill Pope) that rivals any sequence in the genre’s history. When we get out of the sequence, it is harrowing, and it feels like Walton is being examined all over again. It’s interesting that Lieberman says he does believe that Walton’s story is a hoax, because he allows him empathy in this third act that a lot of filmmakers wouldn’t. I don’t think I believe Walton’s story, either, but I appreciate this film as a reflection of his emotional truth.
