Synopsis:
CASE 347 follows psychologist and UFO sceptic, Dr. Mia Jansen (Maya Stojan), and a team of documentary filmmakers who believe that alien abduction claims are forms of “mass hysteria”. This is their footage:
Written and directed by Chris Wax, produced by Melanie Young and Jeremy Gilberth, and starring the talents of Kayla Madison, Maya Stojan, Chris Wax, Jason Kropik and Richard Gilliland, Case 347 is a sci-fi found-footage thriller recently released by DarkCoast and currently available on InDemand.
I remember my alien fixation during my mid-teens. I had read a few books that were “based on true stories” and I was utterly hooked. I had recently lost my faith and had dived headfirst into the whole E.T. thing. I have actually even seen my fair share of UFOs in my lifetime. Now, don’t misunderstand; I’m a very healthy sceptic and take everything with a pinch of salt. I’m not claiming that little green men are warring with the “the Greys” somewhere over our night skies or whatever the current conspiracy is…I’m just saying that many people have seen some weird shit, myself included.
Case 347 feels like a love letter to the abduction films of the 90s and shows like the X-Files. The film follows a film team trying to document the psychological issues associated with supposed abductees and their corresponding psychoses. As our filmmakers head out attempting to disprove the alien sighting fever, they inadvertently seem to do the opposite.
The production value is clearly on the lower end of the typical indie budget film, but the acting, script, and passion really make up for it. It is very watchable and paced well with all of the technical aspects rather decent for the budget. The revelations keep coming at steady intervals and the film continuously drops breadcrumbs to keep you insatiable folks intrigued. The characters are great, well written and (thankfully) not annoying, which is a constant gripe for me with indie films.
As we journey further down the rabbit hole, the film plays along by taking new directions, inventing new twists and fleshing out the plot…but remains—of course—similar to any indie alien found footage film you’ve seen before. There’s a formula that works and Case 347 does not attempt to stray far from that blinding light in the sky. It stays as sceptic as it can for as long as it can before the final acts suddenly push the envelope and everything unravels in the most dramatic of ways.
In my younger and more vulnerable years, this would have been a film that I would have wholeheartedly bought into; a title that I would have ranted to about to friends and one that I would have suggested to classmates with similar interests. In my older and more disgruntled years (and after many reviews) there were definitely a few issues that caused me to hum and haw a bit, like the aliens themselves seeming like inanimate props that were flashed on screen for a few milliseconds. Other issues, like the lack of any decent CGI or striking visuals—other than what would guess were floodlights—really didn’t help with one’s immersion in the final acts.
To round off, the film has a solid narrative and decent (though not unique) plot. It has good pacing and great characters. It lacks in production value but makes up for it with passion. I had a good time with it but I am awfully easy to please. If you love abduction films or anything about UFOs then this will scratch your itch, but if you can’t do found footage or lower budget films then this is probably not going to be your cup of tea. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Poster and trailer below.
