Movie title: Sir No Face
Release Date: 2018
Type of movie: Documentary
MPAA Rating: NR-Not Rated
Our rating: 10/10
Re-watchability: 6/10
This is a documentary directed by Chad Calek. It is about the West Sydney Paranormal Research team, led by Craig Powell, and the evidence that they caught involving Cockatoo island off Australia. What makes this documentary stand out from the others in the paranormal field is the evidence that is presented here. It is substantially different from other paranormal films and even TV shows. It also leaves the most burning question about whether ghosts are real and how you catch one on film, something that paranormal investigators and researches have been attempting to do for years. Also, the evidence asks the key question, is the evidence fake or a CGI image? This is put to the test with experts in the CGI field examining the film and assessing that possibility.
What is this film about, and how did the film come about? This documentary is about Chad Calek getting called in by West Sydney Paranormal Research team based on evidence that they obtained on Cockatoo Island. The evidence gathered and the interviews conducted throughout this documentary were very real and very authentic. Chad Calek conducts his own interviews with Craig Powell’s team and additional outside sources to determine the authenticity of everything Craig’s team collected. The story begins when Craig’s team is asked to investigate Cockatoo island by the Australian Government. The government reached out to Craig asking him and his team to investigate the island with them present. Craig provides evidence of a “full body apparition” that was caught on Cockatoo island along with other unexplained light anomalies. So how does this all fit into the documentary? How does Chad help debunk or authenticate the evidence presented in this documentary? Well through expert interviews during the documentary and eyewitness interviews from people present during the investigation we see into the mystery on Cockatoo Island.
The chance meeting of Chad and Craig resulted when both were on a tour in Australia. Chad was presenting evidence from his investigations and Craig was presenting the evidence his team had collected from Cockatoo island. Chads interest was piqued when Craig mentioned catching a “full body apparition” on film. Up to this point in the paranormal field most “apparitions” are faked or CGI created. According to Chad, he looked at Craig’s laptop screen and saw what he was sure was going to be a fake apparition. The actual footage looks authentic, but then again it doesn’t seem possible either. Who really knows what a ghost should look like when captured on film. Chad goes on to show several fake apparitions from other investigations, from other people, where the footage looks convincing but is just a CGI trick. Thus, Chad begins this investigation as a skeptic, not at all convinced that the film Craig Powell and his team collected is real.
There are several clips that are shown repeatedly while Chad interviews eyewitnesses present the night that events took place. Chad also pushes Craig very hard about the “full body apparition” because it is possible with CGI to create something like this. Some of the clips that are played repeatedly include footage of a man pointing and saying look at the lights. The problem is that Cockatoo Island is a small island with no electricity on it. Chad doesn’t ID the man in this footage until the very end of this film as Craig’s travel agent and also a skeptic of the paranormal. Why is this so important to the documentary? It’s important because Craig did everything right according to Chad. The flashing light that is played repeatedly in this documentary is key because multiple witnesses saw this happen and it was caught on film. There is not just a lack of electricity on this island, there are also no cars. Thus, the light anomalies they caught on film could not be explained by any simple explanation. Could it have been a flashlight(s) held by someone off camera? Well, it would be hard to get a light that bright and have everyone react to it so very differently.
The main piece of evidence this documentary revolves around is the “full body apparition.” The key question was whether this was faked or authentic. Chad pushes Craig very hard on this subject matter because he wants to know if Craig knows anyone who could have faked this evidence knowing that in Sydney, Australia there are multiple CGI companies. The Lord of the Rings was filmed in Australia, so companies do exist there capable of faking an apparition. Craig denies the evidence was faked. He claims it is 100% authentic. Chad tells Craig he’s going to find out if it is faked by sending it to an expert witness, a gentleman who worked on the CGI for the Transformer movies. During the interview with Chad’s expert witness, we learn that if this footage was faked there is no definitive way to prove the Craig’s footage was a hoax. However, to do that would require it be done at a pixel by pixel level, which is insanely hard to do. The CGI expert provides what a CGI figure in the footage might look like, and it doesn’t look anything similar to the footage that was captured.
At this point it appears the footage is authentic, and even Chad is convinced about its authenticity when multiple attempts to recreate similar footage all failed. There is one last thing that stands out and that is the height of apparition isn’t a normal human height. It appears the figure in the footage is about 4 feet tall. That is also important because all the people on the island were about 5.5 feet to 6 feet tall, far larger than the apparition itself. Interestingly, you also do not hear on the film or the recreation of the film any footsteps. When they were setting up the film, they were already in the room. The figure captured had to walk into the room where they were. One would expect a person’s movements would have made some sound. However, the footage doesn’t appear to have any footsteps from the room or leading up to the figure peering out at the film crew.
Are ghosts real and does this film prove it? I leave that up to you my readers to decide after you watch this film. Do I recommend this film to those interested in the paranormal? Most definitely. I have watched this film multiple times just so I could write this review. While I find these types of films captivating and interesting, I also admit that they are not for everyone. I am very interested in the paranormal field and anytime I can watch a film that provides strong evidence not subject to Hollywood fakery I am genuinely interested in it. I will give this fair warning though you may have to watch it multiple times to truly understand what you are seeing. With all of this said, if you have an interest in the paranormal you should watch this film.
Thank you for reading.
Jason
