"Disclosure Day" (2026), the latest work by the wizard of Hollywood, is divisive. On the one hand it is praised as Spielberg's greatest work in 20 years. On the other, it is seen as one of the worst movies some have ever seen. I take the middle ground. I think the film is far from being the worst or the greatest. Despite its downs, it delivers a beautiful universal message on empathy that is needed in today's time.
Spoilers alert
A government trying to pevent a secret about extraterrestrial life from being revealed is nothing new as a plot. What makes this one stand out is the surrounding context with the world on the brink of World War 3, one of the anxieties introduced and that can be felt early in 2026.
In the film, we hear news of growing international tension, and we see it as people start stocking up on supplies.
The protagonists, however, have more urgent problems to deal with. The film tells a story with two plot lines that finally merge into one.
On the run are Daniel (Josh O'Connor), a federal mathematics intelligence agent who turns and steals secret footage about alien encounters on Earth, and Jane (Eve Hewson), his girlfriend who tags along. Hunting them is Noah, the head of Wardex, and his team.
Meanwhile, Margaret (Emily Blunt), a weather reporter from Kansas, gains a supernatural ability to understand languages and understand people’s minds. She is on a mission to find Daniel, as she senses by her ability that she has to find him.
Understanding is power
Both main characters, Daniel and Margaret, have been given these ‘superpowers’ - Daniel to be able to understand maths, the language the aliens use, and Margaret to understand the language that humans use. Thus, they act as the interpreters between aliens and humans.
From the moment Margaret gets her power, she is able to de-escalate conflict, whether by simply translating different languages to clarify the situation or reading another person’s mind and seeing what really bothers them.
This is contrasted by her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell) who not only turns down her need to seek out Daniel (which is totally understandable when his girlfriend suddenly acts like a different person), but refuses to listen to her casting interview as a video news reporter. Margaret is a weather reporter but we can see she wants to be a general news reporter, so she makes an interview tape, but Jackson does not finish watching it and does not really listen to his partner.
Working on different beliefs
The relationship between Daniel and Jane, unlike Margaret and Jackson, is a glimpse of co-existence on different beliefs.
While on the run, Daniel and Jane do not completely see eye to eye on releasing the footage. Daniel believes that the world deserves to know the truth and have the right to decide what they will do with it. Jane used to be a nun and argues that the fact that aliens exist could shake the very notion of God.
They fight and Daniel becomes suspicious of Jane. Then Jane is cornered by federal agents. Despite their differing views, Daniel still runs back and saves her, prompting Jane to think beyond her fears and really consider how disclosure would impact religious beliefs. I find that their arc beautifully paints how, despite their differences, they can still work together and find common ground.
Let’s talk about the ending
This culminates in the ending, where the footage is finally revealed and an actual alien has been brought out to speak to the world. Although, it is a little disappointing that we still have the stereotypical alien with a big head and small body in 2026.
Daniel and Margaret translate what the alien says to the world. And this is where the movie becomes truly divisive. Margaret turns to the live camera and says “Listen…” then the film ends.
This ending is a bold move for sure, with anticipation being abruptly cut short just when things seem to get climactic. My interpretation of this is that it does not matter what the alien says; what matters is our willingness, our openness, to listen.
So, whether it is a conflict over core beliefs or simply about whether ‘Disclosure Day’ is a good film, this 2026 Stephen Spielberg alien allegory believes that empathy is a powerful tool to transcend the notion of "us and them", especially at a time when tensions and conflict are eating away at the world and its people.
