Everyone loves a good hoax until they realize the person behind it actually believes the lie. That’s the messy, tragic, and weirdly beautiful core of The Man Who Loved UFOs (originally titled El hombre que amaba los platos voladores). If you’ve been scrolling through Netflix lately and saw a silver-haired man staring intensely at the Argentine sky, you’ve met José de Zer.
He was real.
He wasn't just some character cooked up for a screenplay. José de Zer was a legendary journalist in Argentina during the 1980s who basically invented "fake news" before the internet made it a global pastime. But he did it with style. And mirrors. And a lot of hidden smoke machines.
The film, directed by Diego Lerman, captures a specific moment in 1986. De Zer, played by Leonardo Sbaraglia, travels to the hills of Córdoba—specifically the Uritorco hill—to investigate reports of a "burnt circle" left by an alien craft. There was no craft. There were barely even witnesses. So, José did what any desperate, visionary newsman would do: he created the evidence himself.
Why José de Zer and The Man Who Loved UFOs is more than just a biopic
People often mistake this story for a simple comedy about a con man. It isn't. To understand The Man Who Loved UFOs, you have to understand the era. Argentina was emerging from a brutal dictatorship. The collective psyche was scarred. People were desperate for something—anything—that wasn't political violence or economic collapse.
Enter the supernatural.
De Zer understood the "show" better than anyone at the Nuevediario news program. He didn't just report the news; he staged it. He’d have his cameraman, Chango, tilt the lens to make a common flashlight look like a mothership. He’d pant and wheeze into the microphone to simulate the terror of a close encounter. It worked. Millions of people tuned in every night.
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The Uritorco Phenomenon: Real places, fake lights
The movie focuses heavily on Capilla del Monte. Today, that town is a New Age mecca. You can buy quartz crystals, take "energy tours," and attend UFO festivals. All of that—literally all of it—can be traced back to the segments José de Zer filmed in the mid-80s.
It’s a strange legacy.
On one hand, he lied. He used practical effects to trick a nation. On the other hand, he built an entire local economy that persists forty years later. He gave people a sense of wonder. Was it ethical? Probably not. Was it entertaining? Absolutely.
The thin line between journalism and myth
If you watch the original archival footage of the real José de Zer—which is easily found on YouTube—you see a man who seems to be vibrating. He had this frantic, infectious energy. He would shout "¡Seguime, Chango!" (Follow me, Chango!) as they hiked through the brush.
- He once claimed to find underground tunnels built by extraterrestrials.
- He reported on "luminous beings" that were clearly just people in reflective suits.
- He turned a simple burnt patch of grass into a national emergency.
The film explores the toll this took on him. You can’t live in a fantasy world forever without losing your grip on reality. Sbaraglia’s performance captures that frantic descent. He’s not just lying to the audience; he’s trying to convince himself that the universe is more interesting than it actually is.
It’s a lonely place to be.
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Fact-checking the "UFO" in the movie
Let's talk about the science—or lack thereof. In the film and in real life, the "evidence" was always circumstantial. Geologists later suggested that the famous burnt circles on the hillsides were caused by natural fires or even fungal growth, known as "fairy rings."
But José didn't care about fungi.
He cared about the red "on" light of the camera. The film does an incredible job showing how the production of "truth" happens. You see them arranging rocks. You see the rehearsals. It’s a masterclass in how media can manipulate perception by focusing on the reaction to an event rather than the event itself.
Honestly, the most impressive part is how the movie handles the ending. It doesn't give you a clear "gotcha" moment. Instead, it leaves you with the feeling that perhaps, in his own mind, José really was the man who loved UFOs because they represented an escape from a mundane, often painful world.
Why this story is relevant in 2026
We live in an age of deepfakes and AI-generated hallucinations. The Man Who Loved UFOs feels like a prequel to our current reality. José de Zer was a pioneer of the "vibe check." He knew that if the vibe was right, the facts didn't matter.
Critics have pointed out that the movie leans into the "magical realism" of Argentina. It’s not a dry documentary. It shouldn't be. To tell the story of a man who lived in a fever dream, the film has to feel like a dream itself.
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What to look for in the film
Pay attention to the sound design. The humming, the static, the wind—it all mimics the "white noise" of 80s television. It’s immersive. You start to feel the same paranoiac excitement that the villagers felt when the news crews rolled into town.
- The relationship between José and his cameraman, Chango. This is the heart of the movie. Chango is the reluctant enabler of José’s madness.
- The landscape of Córdoba. The cinematography makes the mountains look like another planet, which explains why it was so easy for people to believe the lies.
- The ending sequences. They blur the line between what is being filmed for the TV show and what is "actually" happening in the world of the film.
Actionable insights for fans of the paranormal and film buffs
If you’ve watched The Man Who Loved UFOs and want to dig deeper into the actual history or visit the sites mentioned, here is how to navigate the reality behind the fiction.
Visit Capilla del Monte responsibly The town at the base of Cerro Uritorco is very real. While the UFO sightings are debated, the hiking is world-class. If you go, realize that the "alien" history you’re seeing in the gift shops is the direct result of the 1986 media frenzy depicted in the film.
Watch the original Nuevediario clips To appreciate the film's costume and set design, look up "José de Zer Nuevediario" on archives. The resemblance is uncanny. You’ll see the real-life "Chango" and the actual frenetic reporting style that captivated Argentina. It’s a fascinating look at 80s broadcast journalism.
Explore the psychology of belief This story is a perfect case study for "social contagion." When one person claims to see a UFO on a popular news segment, reports of sightings in that area skyrocket. This is called the "sentinel effect." Once people are told what to look for, they start seeing it everywhere—even if it's just Venus or a weather balloon.
Understand the "Uritorco" legacy The hill remains a site of pilgrimage. Whether or not you believe in aliens, the site has become a cultural landmark. It represents the human desire for something "beyond." José de Zer didn't invent that desire; he just gave it a specific shape—the shape of a flying saucer.
The real José de Zer passed away in 1997. He left behind a legacy that is part journalism, part performance art, and entirely Argentine. The Man Who Loved UFOs isn't just a movie about a man chasing shadows; it’s about a man who realized that sometimes, the shadows are more comforting than the light.