"Love & Saucers" is a fascinating film any UFO enthusiast needs to have on their radar from the sheer uniqueness of it . Director Brad Abrahams does a fantastic job of humanizing a story that is absurd upon concept, but by the end of the film even the biggest skeptic should at least feel something. And that is what good art does; it elicits feelings and emotions just like the subject of the documentary David Huggins and his memorizing paintings, which detail visitations that include alien sex ever since he claims he lost his virginity to an alien.
Abrahams is doing great work here, and spoke to Punk rock and UFOs to go more in-depth about his film.
Q: What inspired you to document this fascinating story on film ?
(Handout)
ABRAHAMS: "I think David’s paintings, and the stories they tell, are fantastic. Because David has no online presence, and has never personally sought out an audience, I felt it was a shame that his story went untold and his paintings unseen. This was also an excellent challenge as a documentary filmmaker. Take one of the most bizarre stories anyone has ever heard, and pair it with one of the most down to earth and honest people they’ve met, and present it with an unbiased reportage. If done successfully, it creates a cognitive dissonance in the regular skeptical audience. I also wanted to tell a different kind of UFO story. One that wasn’t concerned with presenting evidence or proving an agenda, or on the flip side with disproving theories or ridiculing believers. Instead I wanted to tell a simple story about one man’s experiences, in a non-judgmental fashion."
Q: Do you think David’s obsession with sci-fi and horror movies influences what he believes/ plays into his imagination ?
ABRAHAMS: " This is definitely the first question I asked myself when first walking into his bedroom, and seeing his thousands-strong VHS collection. I asked him if he felt there was a connection, and he had surprisingly never thought about it. I think it’s too easy to simply jump to that conclusion, just as it’s too simplistic to say all of his experiences were a result of childhood trauma. One would have to also ask, why did he feel compelled to collect all these films in the first place? And the answer could be because he had these unexplained experiences. Ultimately, I think the truth lays somewhere in the middle. They (the films) effect his and others content of experience, but the experiences also drive him and others to the films and media. "
Q:David’s encounters detail more freedom / control over what we usually hear from reported abduction cases - what do you make of this ?
ABRAHAMS: "It may just be an illusion of freedom. He does mention that he often felt paralyzed during the encounters, particularly the sexual ones. He also mused that perhaps they were effecting him telepathically, putting him at ease and making him more compliant. But still, David’s experiences, or at least how he interprets them, seem to be rosier than the usual!"
Q:As the movie progresses and David details his loss of memory , his story feels more plausible / in-line with other cases . Overall, do you think his experience is fabricated or a unique alien experimentation ?
ABRAHAMS:" Neither. I do not think David is fabricating his experience. I believe that he is telling them as he perceives and remembers them, but that doesn’t mean I directly believe they are evidence of alien experimentation, or that they necessarily have anything to do with extra-terrestrials. I also don’t know if his encounters are the same things that others have experienced. What seems to make sense, and articulated by Professor Jeffrey Kripal, is that it seems these types of experiences have been going on for millennia under the guise of 'mystical' or 'religious' experience, and UFOs are the modern manifestation or screen for them. What these experiences truly are could explain the nature of us and our consciousness. "
Q:David's depiction of a little hairy guy doesn’t fit usual alien species , rather resembles more of a cryptid ( a smaller Bigfoot ?) . Do you think if what he saw is true -is it alien or possibly these cryptids are of alien origin ?
ABRAHAMS: "The Little Hairy Guy is a frequent favorite of the beings. 'He' is definitely incongruent within the canon of E.T.s, but not uncommon in cryptozoology or other paranormal realms. Even David refers to him as a sort of inter-dimensional Bigfoot-like creature. The glowing eyes that seem to have a hypnotic and transportive effect also seem more supernatural than alien. A lot of cryptozoologists disdain the idea of a Bigfoot/E.T. connection though…"
Q:Out of all of David’s art , which piece struck you the most and why ?
ABRAHAMS: "The large, wide painting of Crescent's eyes. It’s hypnotizing, and feels like it’s tapping into something from beyond, like most great art.
"Love & Saucers" is a great piece of art that borders on bizarre and heartfelt. Check it out.
-By MIKE DAMANTE