Do you want to believe?

Young Denise (Inez Darl Torhaug) does. She remembers the night her father disappeared chasing down UFOs, and it’s been an obsession ever since. She’s grown to be a young woman, tech savvy in the mid-90s and is determined to find the truth of what happened.

As she begins to cross reference weather reports and sightings she comes across some strange possibilities and turns to the UFO group her father founded, UFO Sweden for help. Sure they’re a little odd, some of them are lonely, and most of them are there because they have nowhere else to be, but they offer her possibilities, and their leader, Lennart (Jesper Barkselius) has a connection to Denise and her father.

Planning a bit of the nostalgia card by setting it in the 90s, UFO Sweden lacks the sense of wonder other UFO films, specifically Close Encouters, have. It does however, lean into its John Carpenter/Stranger Things-esque synth score that underlines Denise’s investigation.

Dealing with infighting amongst the UFO group, Denise and Lennart discover there is definitely something going on and evidence points to something otherworldly. But they can’t get their hands on any evidence.

Is it possible Lennart’s previous place of employment, and co-workers, have more information? Could it tie into why he was fired?

We only get glimpses of something in the sky, but that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have some big ideas to unpack, and not all of them are about space travel and alien life, some of them are much closer to home. This includes the idea of what composes a family, and who is there for you.

Denise is driven, and she almost sends her new friends running as various truths are revealed, but the film never loses its heart. It’s eccentric, has some odd characters, makes the most of its budget and could have you watching the skies. There are some laughs, some fun reveals, and a nudge to keep an open mind about what could be.

Toronto After Dark continues to bring exceptional and entertaining films from all over the globe, giving us a hint of how things are portrayed across the globe, and this little Swedish gem is a delight that is bound to entertain the After Dark crowd, and perhaps raise some questions and discussions about what they see in the film, and the possibilities posited by it.

UFO Sweden screens this evening at Toronto After Dark, it’s preceded by the amusing Canadian short, Rec Volton: Alien Hunter and the title says it all, as Rec comes to Earth to stop an alien invasion! You get find showtimes, tickets, and other titles to explore here. And we’ll see you After Dark.