Calling All Earthlingsis the story of George Van Tassel and his otherworldly passion project, The Integration. The film dives into The Integration’s claimed mysterious abilities of rejuvenation, anti-gravity, and time travel based off of some of the works of Nikoli Tesla.
Director/writer Jonathan Berman stated that his “continued obsession with the dome and its action as a talisman, offering profound questions about our relationship to life and each other” was what led him to bring this extraterrestrial story to life.
Calling All Earthlingsdoes a great job at utilizing old footage of Van Tassel to allow the famed contactee and ufologist to describe his own beliefs in the extraterrestrial and the details surrounding his Integration project.
Tapes showing him “tapping into another realm” help to get your mind rolling, and Berman’s interviews with those close to the project only increase your intrigue with the subject. Those who knew Van Tassel or resided in the are all claim that he was onto something. Their confidence in Van Tassel speaks volumes as they believe that he was on the verge of making something happen.
Berman does work hard to paint the entire picture, leaving the comfort of Van Tassel’s believers and speaking with experts who are all quick to debunk the whole workings of the film’s main subject. Even Berman himself admits that he came into the project a skeptic – though I won’t reveal whether his opinions on the subject have since changed.
The film delivers high marks for its cinematography. Tony Molina and Gret Wilson do a fantastic job at capturing the Southern California terrain, bringing to life its beauty as it provides the perfect backdrop to this otherworldly story. Sadly, the cinematography alone cannot create an excellent documentary. Though Calling All Earthlingsis an interesting adventure in which to embark on, its full of “characters” that are highly unrelatable. UFO enthusiast will find a lot to love here – the rest of us will likely be looking forward to its completion long before it comes.
