Star Dreams --Reviews

Crop circles are "non-human creations" says filmmaker Robert Nichol. His documentary runs here Saturday night.

At the Box Office

What: Star Dreams

Where: May 1, 8 p.m., David Lam Auditorium

May 2, 8 p.m., Malaspina College

Cost: $12; $10, seniors and youth

Tickets: Available at the door

When Robert Nichol says "we are not alone," he isn't just claiming there's a higher life form in the cosmos.

The Gibson's, B.C.-based filmmaker is also pointing out he's just one of millions of people -- including reportedly 80 per cent of the American public -- who believe in extra-terrestrials.

And 72 per cent of Americans, he adds, believe the government is covering up their existence.

You don't need a similar mindset to find yourself captivated by Star Dreams, Nichol's fascinating, visually breathtaking and trippy "feel-good" documentary -- albeit one that preaches to the converted -- about the unsolved mysteries of worldwide crop circles.

The film will be screened, with Nichol in attendance, at 8 p.m. Saturday at UVic's David Lam Auditorium and Sunday, 8 p.m., at Malaspina College in Nanaimo.

"This isn't one of those pro-and-con documentaries," says Nichol, who offers no apologies for not including footage or commentary from "pranks with planks" who have created "fake" variations on the fascinating phenomenon that continues to mystify and amaze.

"Why give them the screen time? They'll just shoot themselves in the foot anyway."

Star Dreams combines stunning aerial and ground footage of some of the 10,000 crop circles recorded in 40 countries since 1980 with commentary from spiritual and scientific researchers, authors and law enforcers. It also includes testimonials from farmers whose lives were changed by the intricate geometric formations stamped into their fields, the origins of which continue to stir debate between believers and skeptics.

"I think most everyone agrees and research has shown that these are non-human creations," says Nichol, a longtime UFO buff and award-winning veteran director and cinematographer who worked for the National Film Board for 14 years before forming his own company.

"Now the question is what, and why. We try to address that in the film."

Nichol, whose 77-minute documentary aims to both "enlighten and entertain," doesn't mince his words.

"There's no doubt these are a communication from a higher, more evolved intelligence," he says. "It's a trigger to humanity to awaken a higher level of consciousness."

To make his case and lift the crop circles "into the public imagination," Nichol incorporates footage of mind-boggling, beautifully complex field formations from Vanderhoof, B.C., to England, which boasts the highest percentage.

If Star Dreams is a bit top-heavy with theories from crop circle fanatics -- a.k.a. "croppies" -- Nichol does make a compelling argument through commentary and visuals.

The stunning aerials that capture the vastness of wonders like "the Catherine Wheel," made up of 400 circles and 780 feet wide, are complemented by fascinating footage on the ground, where corn stalks bent at 90 degree angles are unbroken.

The film, blending the scientific with New Age theories, doesn't shy away from claims the whole thing is a hoax. In fact, Nichol takes delight in illustrating that what the "hoaxers" are saying -- that humans could have hastily created such exquisitely complex circles in wheat fields or on snow packs -- is as absurd to believers as the phenomenon is to those who dismiss it.

"We've probably had 11,000 of these by now and skeptics say they are all man-made," says Nichol.

"For 20 years, teams of extremely well-trained people have gone all over the planet in the middle of the night on private land without being seen? For what reason? And who pays for all of this? It would cost millions of dollars. It just doesn't make any sense."

That Nichol and others who support the higher life form theory find themselves ridiculed isn't something he loses sleep over, however.

"There are people who just won't buy it and it's not my job to convince those who refuse to be convinced," he says matter-of-factly.

As is pointed out by author and crop circle researcher Michael Glickmann, it's akin to the skepticism faced by those who had to spread the news that the earth was round, or that heavy aircraft could remain aloft and travel thousands of miles.

Not surprisingly, Star Dreams was a tough sell when Nichol tried -- for five years -- to get a Canadian broadcaster involved.

Space: The Imagination Station eventually got on board, triggering an emphasis on Canadian crop circles in a TV-friendly version of the documentary. It's at the grassroots level Star Dreams has been most successful, however, says Nichol, who has been "Island-hopping" with the film -- with stops at Bowen, Quadra, Cortez, Saltspring and Vancouver Island on a tour that will soon cross the country.