Children Of The Stars

The film-making UFO cult is examined in this fascinating documentary. Ruth Norman, outrageously coiffed and gowned leader of the UNARIUS group, founded the organization in an attempt to better mankind before a mothership of 'space brothers' was to supposedly land on Earth in 1974.

Seeing themselves as rulers and prophets who have lived for thousands of years, they 'psychically remember' past lives and episodes of Flash Gordon and Star Trek as though they were based on real events. They created ad-libbed films, whose plots were supposedly based on past-life experiences.

Marred by inconsistent editing and harsh lighting, Children Of The Stars still manages to captivate, mostly on the quirky appeal of the charismatic leader Ruth Norman and her eccentric followers. Using stock footage of public domain sci-fi films pads out the runtime, and inclusion of the clips seems a natural fit alongside clips of the group's own films. The oil paintings of the organizations members and leaders are a highlight.

Children of the Stars is a bewildering look at a fringe belief system, with a rich DIY outsider art aesthetic.