Comedy. Consciousness. Conspiracy.

Indeed, The Truth Is Out There.

Dean Haglund is an actor-comic-writer-painter-inventor-producer and all around truth seeker. Best known, perhaps, to those who remember him as the X-Files' Langly, a true pop culture icon and unforgettable character. How did this man become recognized by fans worldwide as an expert in conspiracy theories?

I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you.

Directed by Phil Leirness (Karl Rove, I Love You), The Truth Is Out There is a feature-length documentary that follows Haglund as he co-hosts his weekly podcast, travels to sci-fi conventions throughout the country, performs improv and, with results both insightful and entertaining, uses his "insider" status to nab top notch interviews with experts in the field of virtually any conspiracy you could ever consider.

The JFK assassination.
UFO's.
E.T.
The truth about 9/11.
The New World Order.
The Federal Reserve system...

The list goes on and on.

The inherent danger in a documentary such as The Truth Is Out There is that the film could either be played off as completely tongue-in-cheek or, on the flip side, with an almost Dan Aykroyd like reverence for all things extra-terrestrial. Fortunately, Leirness nails the perfect tone for the film by giving it an irreverent, improvisational spirit that is both respectful of its subjects while you can feel this inner giggle bubbling up. It's not so much "poking fun" as it is having fun with a subject matter that either inspires great devotion or tired yawns.

I guarantee you won't yawn during The Truth Is Out There.

The great thing about Dean Haglund is that his fans allow him to be Dean Haglund, a man who can simultaneously absorb himself in a conspiracy while laughing the entire time. Haglund talks with scientists, authors, journalists, New Agers, artists and more in his quest to discover the truth within each conspiracy.

Or, wait. Is that the conspiracy in each truth?

Sigh.

Haglund co-hosts the Chillpak Hollywood Hour on the Farpoint Media Network with Leirness, and their camaraderie obviously works wonders here as the film flows beautifully and possesses a cohesiveness not often seen in indie docs. Leirness, whose photo on The Truth Is Out There website would be right at home on Shutter Island, has a perfect sense of timing and there's no question this is one indie doc that should prove to be wildly popular on both the indie and underground film festival scene (not to mention at sci-fi conventions, of course!).

The Truth Is Out There features terrific camera work by Leirness, stellar original music from Greg De Belles (plus a fantastic title song by the B-Film Extras) and an incredible guest list that includes Claudia Christian, Eliza Roberts, Chase Masterson and others.

Only recently completed, The Truth Is Out There is just getting its start on the film fest circuit. For more information on The Truth Is Out There, visit the film's website.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic