While the trailer does not reveal what this threat is, it appears to be something extraterrestrial. A cop who stops them appears to be possessed by some entity and Riz Ahmed himself appears to be possessed by the same thing later on. While there is an alien presence, Encounter seems to be focused more on being a family drama than an explosive, sci-fi action film.
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In an interview with Deadline, Pearce did acknowledge that he wanted to keep the film character-driven, despite its cosmic plot.
Ahmed, also speaking with Deadline, praised Pearce for his direction and ability to mix a character piece with a genre film.
Ahmed praised his co-stars and suggested that he may never work with child actors again to save his own pride.
Encounter has received mostly positive reviews from critics so far with a 63% from critics. Many of the critics have stated that the performances from Ahmed and his co-stars - Lucian-River Chauhan and Aditya Geddada- elevated the film. Encounter had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival and its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It will premiere in theaters on Dec. 3 before landing on Prime Video on Dec. 10.
