Page 2 February 17, 2022
Entertainment
Film Review
UFO Cult Bizarreness Abounds
in Cosmic Dawn, Based on a True Story
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy
If you’re in the mood for some low-stakes,
campy cult bizarreness, Cosmic Dawn may
pique your interest. Written and directed
by Jefferson Moneo, this isn’t your average
sci-fi story that’s rooted in imagination and
make-believe; this is based on Moneo’s own
lived experience. He states, “Cosmic Dawn
was shaped by an extraterrestrial encounter
I had as a child. Like Aurora in the film, no
one believed my story.” Now we’re talking.
Starring Camille Rowe as Aurora, the film
tackles an ambitious premise with obvious
production quality limitations, but still makes
for an enjoyable watch. Aurora was never the
same after witnessing the disappearance of her
mother by a UFO as a child. The unexplainable
paranormal event wreaked havoc on her
life. Everyone believed she was crazy, despite
knowing that what she saw was true. It isn’t
until she meets Natalie (Emmanuelle Chriqui)
at a local bookstore that she finally feels seen.
Natalie reveals herself to be a member of The
Cosmic Dawn, a UFO worshipping cult that
all share a common paranormal experience
(and a karaoke obsession).
Aurora is skeptical at first but eventually
falls in with the cult and its high-powered
feminine leader Elyse (Antonia Zegers). Elyse
is a visionary, revered by her members in the
same way Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones
or Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh were
admired. It’s not until Aurora is invited to a
remote island compound for The Cosmic Dawn
retreat that she begins to question Elyse’s
motives, sanity, and self.
Cosmic Dawn plays in a nonlinear timeline,
jumping very liberally back and forth four
years into the future throughout the film. A
bit distracting at times, the purpose is to show
that Aurora’s integration into the cult happened
four years in the past. Even though she has
since moved on and distanced herself from
The Cosmic Dawn, Aurora soon discovers
that she hasn’t really escaped Elyse’s control.
While Jefferson Moneo never explicitly says
what he saw as a child that inspired this film,
we’re led to believe it was some truly wacky
stuff. Camille Rowe embodies a traumatized
child turned adult with undeniable magnetism.
Even when dressed the same as the other
cult members in full-length jumpsuits, Rowe
always stands out. As a whole, Cosmic Dawn
has a similar The Scary of Sixty-First vibe
that feels intentionally trippy and off-center.
That’s not a big surprise given that the score
is composed by Alan Howarth and features
music by MGMT.
One of the big takeaways after watching
Cosmic Dawn is the film’s message of discovery
and acceptance. Acceptance is a journey that
looks different for everyone but staying true to
yourself and your beliefs will keep you on the
right path. Just be aware that a belief in UFOs
may lead you on a direct path to the mothership.
Distributed by Cranked Up. 98 mins. Now
playing in select theaters and VOD. •
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Check It Out
The Deepest South of All : True Stories
from Natchez, Mississippi by Richard Grant
By Roz Templin, Library Assistant,
El Segundo Public Library
As quoted from the cover, this title is “A
page-turner that’s nothing short of a masterpiece.
Think Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil with a conscience.” A cast of local
eccentrics, descriptions of palatial mansions
and lovely country and quite a bit of history
rounds it all out. Richard Grant made many
trips over some years, since fellow author Regina
Charboneau invited him to visit her in her
hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, where her
family has lived for many generations. Regina,
the “Queen of Biscuits,” authors cookbooks
(she is a respected chef of the South) and has
owned and operated restaurants and cooking
schools. Through her many contacts, Grant
was invited to parties, pageants and festivals
where he experienced (and heard tales of) some
mind-boggling behavior from the citizenry.
Snapshots of characters like 6 foot 4 inch
tall Buzz Harper, a gay antiques dealer who
was friendly with Anne Rice and “Denver,”
who lived in a former mental hospital with
an odd assortment of folks there “without
his permission,” and a man who revealed the
origins of the Deacons for Defense, a secret
group of African Americans who defied the
nonviolence policy of Martin Luther King.
Events such as the Historic Natchez Tableaux
and its relationship with author Greg Iles,
and the annual Santa Claus Parade, “the only
police-escorted drunk driving event in America,”
make for entertaining reading.
Winding through these surveys of quirks
of character is the tale of Prince Ibrahima, a
Muslim commander of 6000 warriors in Futa
Jalon (what is now Guinea) in West Africa.
Ibrahima was sold into slavery by an opposing
tribe. He arrived in Natchez in 1788 and spent
40 years in bondage to small farmer Thomas
Foster. Ibrahima eventually made the acquaintance
of influential people of the time (Henry
Clay and John Quincey Adams to name but
two!) and was able to rally many people to his
cause to repatriate him to his home in Africa.
The Deepest South of All reminds me
somewhat of Douglas Brinkley’s The Great
Deluge, which was about Hurricane Katrina
and its effects on the people and land of New
Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Reading this book
can assist in a better understanding of race
relations and put into context the historical
animosities that have existed between North
and South for generations. There is always
the hope that with continued conversations that
include listening (and truly hearing!), we can
help to better communicate and work together.
A great example of nonfiction that reads
like fiction, I was hooked as I listened to our
library’s audiobook edition, narrated by Matthew
Lloyd Davies, a British actor. It was as
if the author was sitting beside me, letting me
in on long-kept secrets and unlikely-yet-true
accounts of life south of the Mason Dixon Line.
Stop by the El Segundo Public Library to enjoy
the latest in books, films, cds and other
offerings. •
The Deepest South of All : True stories from Natchez, Mississippi
by Richard Grant
Cosmic Dawn, courtesy Cranked Up.
Roz Templin
Morgan Rojas
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