Road trip films are a staple of American cinema, but Juan Felipe Zuleta’s Unidentified Objects lifts off to another otherworldly plane. This is a film about moving on, letting go, and not judging those who don’t look exactly like you.

Peter (Matthew Jeffers) wants to be left alone in peace. He would love for the world to fall away in order for him to enjoy his books and privacy. His neighbor, Winona (played by the firecracker Sarah Hay), needs a favor. She knows that Peter has a car, and she desperately needs to borrow it to cross the border into Canada to visit her sister. At least, that’s what Winona tells Peter, and after she offers him a few thousand dollars, they hit the road. How do you think Peter reacts to Winona when she tells him that she needs to get back to the place she was abducted by aliens in order to greet them again?

Peter is an expert at shutting people out, but he also has a thorny, angry tongue. He is a little person, and we live in a cruel and severe world. When people show Peter the smallest ounce of unkindness, he is able to cut them down with his ferocious intellect. There is something dark and painful hidden behind his defenses, and, as they barrel towards their destination, he learns to not judge Winona for being involved in sex work or for her sunny demeanor. He knows he is smart, but he isn’t as intellectually—or emotionally—open as his travel companion.

Jeffers and Hay are extraordinary as a unit as well as individual performers. You will connect with Peter’s pain and struggle to deal with his grief, and you will be amused by Hay’s optimism as Winona. Unidentified Objects is about the journey to a better well-being. And, sometimes, that journey takes you to alien territory. 

~ Joey Moser

Jury Award – Outstanding First Feature, Honorable Mention: Frameline SF LGBTQ+ International Film Festival

Audience Award – Narrative Feature: Outfest LA LGBTQ Film Festival

Official Selection: Inside Out Toronto LGBTQ+ Film Festival