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An investigation into the tragic end of Apollo 18, the last US mission to the moon in 1973. In interviews conducted in 1998, on the 25th anniversary of the incident, witnesses and participants peel back the layers of mystery surrounding the events that nearly destroyed an American institution.
NASA’s final scheduled manned journey to the moon, Apollo 18, got scrapped due to budgetary constraints. The US had beat the Russians to our satellite – if not to space – and, content, moved on from cosmos exploration. David and Mark Dodson’s faux documentary “The Landing” imagines what it would be like if the mission did take place. The bulk of the film revolves around conspiracies resulting in its consequent, mysterious landing, way off its marked site, back on Earth. While impeccably produced, with the combination of archival footage, reenactments and talking heads making it all seem very real, and somewhat absorbing, the mockumentary ultimately doesn’t present a compelling enough reason to sit through 90 minutes of adults playing make-believe.
It certainly got me at first. Fully aware that the Apollo 18 mission never took place, I nevertheless found myself looking up the facts five minutes into the doc. Living out his life isolated in the blizzard mountains, Lt. Cmdr. Bo Cunningham, USN, Ret. (Don Hannah), speaks very earnestly about his early dreams to fly and the disappointment he felt over finding out he was NOT going to fly the lunar module – as in, actually feel his heavily-insulated feet sink into the lunar soil. Destined to pilot the command module over the moon’s surface instead, his eyes almost well up. How could I NOT look up if that shit was real? Having reaffirmed my suspicions, I kept watching, a bit frustrated, but with a newly-found appreciation for the mockumentary’s authenticity.
Who did the much-coveted role go to? The popular and good-looking Al Borden (Jeff McVey), “America’s First Surfer Geologist Hippie Poet Golden Boy Spaceman,” as Look magazine accurately described him, a man who “could stare at a rock for hours,” such was his fascination with the world. The third member of the Apollo 18 trio was Ed Lovett (Warren Farina), whose political affiliations may have helped him become the Commander of the mission. “We saw ourselves as being flyers,” Bo says, “and this was the ultimate ride.”
Having made it to the moon and back, the Apollo 18 “landed far off course in the Takla Makan desert of Western China.” Disoriented and shaken, but convinced that they were being tracked down by the US government, the astronauts set up camp, Al and Ed stinging themselves on a wild poisonous bush in the process. Ed started throwing up, hallucinating, accusing Bo of messing up the landing – or intentionally changing course. “They were clearly affected by something and I wasn’t,” Bo comments.
The damn bush ended up killing both of Bo’s partners…or did it? Upon his return to the US, it didn’t take long for the question to arise – which, of course, led to a government-issued investigation. Was there a glitch in the system? Did Bo mess up the landing? The details of their stay in the desert were heavily scrutinized. Bo denies any allegations. So what, he contaminated some moon rocks! The conspiracies got more and more far-fetched, with Bo being accused of working for the Chinese and killing the men. His very sanity was called into question: “Did America Send a Madman Into Space?” proclaimed one magazine article.
The film works wonders as a faux documentary, down to an Apollo XVIII pin one of the interviewees wears. It’s chockfull of stylistic flourishes – such as 1970s-style magazine clippings, archival recreations, a 1970s score – which help generate that authentic feel. All the actors shine, including “CHIPs” star Robert Pine as Peter S. Pellarin, US House of Representatives. It asks pertinent questions about the nature of truth and shows how Earth can be more alienating than its moon, with its merciless deserts, corrupt politicians, and suspicious federal agents.
A fake documentary about alleged facts, it’s quite meta indeed. That said, it’s difficult to disregard the notion that, as a real doc, it would’ve been endlessly more fascinating. Once the realization – and then the novelty – that you’re watching a reenactment of one sinks in – an impeccable reenactment, but a reenactment nonetheless – it becomes a bit of a slog to sit through. The Dodsons ask us to get involved in conspiracies and allegations in a fabricated story, where we know nothing is real. If “The Landing” were presented as a feature-length fiction film, with developed characters we grew to care about, perhaps it would have worked. If they condensed it down to a short, it may have been a nifty little cinematic exercise. As it stands, the film, despite its cleverness, never quite lands.
“The Landing” won Best Director at the 2017 Boston Sci-Film Festival; Best Thriller at the 2017 Burbank International Film Festival; Best Feature at 2017 Escape Velocity, Washington, D.C.; and was an official selection at the 2017 Seattle International Film Festival in the New American Cinema Competition.
