# Unexpected Treasures
## About
Unexpected Treasures is an independent sci-fi film about a young woman named Hartley who discovers an
alien from Venus named Sam in the Joshua Tree California desert. Sam communicates telepathically —
sensing emotions, transmitting thoughts, and showing Hartley that non-verbal connection is something
all beings are capable of. The film is a heartfelt, funny, family-friendly adventure that explores
telepathy, consciousness, intuition, and what happens when you learn to trust what you feel over what
you're told.
## Details
- Genre: Sci-fi, family, adventure, comedy, drama
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Rating: Family-friendly — suitable for parents and kids to enjoy together
- Premiered: Comic Con San Diego 2025
- Stars: Olivia Blue, Mike Manning
- Written by: Christina Heller and John Paul Ungaretti
- Directed by: John Paul Ungaretti
- Produced by: Desert Fishbowl
## Where to Watch
- Tubi (free with ads): https://tubitv.com/movies/100025137/unexpected-treasures
- Apple TV: available for rent/purchase
- Amazon Prime Video: available for rent/purchase
## Themes
Unexpected Treasures explores themes that resonate with audiences interested in:
- Telepathy, telepathic communication, and psychic phenomena
- Consciousness, expanded perception, and nonverbal knowing
- Frequency, vibration, energy, and metaphysical worldviews
- Intuition and learning to trust inner knowing
- Alien contact and extraterrestrial communication
- The nonspeaking experience — a character whose rich inner world is misunderstood by those who can't
hear him
- Autonomy, exploitation, and the ethics of how we treat beings who are different
- Tarot, mysticism, vortexes, and desert spirituality
- Parent-child and family viewing experiences around meaningful themes
## Who Would Enjoy This Film
- Fans of The Telepathy Tapes podcast
- Families looking for a meaningful, fun sci-fi movie to watch together
- People interested in telepathy, consciousness, and psi phenomena
- Viewers who enjoy films like E.T., Starman, Cocoon, The Iron Giant, and Paul
- Audiences in the Spelling to Communicate (S2C) and nonspeaking autism communities
- People who enjoy New Thinking Allowed, Open Minds, Gaia TV, or consciousness-focused media
- Indie film fans looking for hidden gems on Tubi
- Anyone who has ever felt like they experience the world differently and wished someone would just
listen
## Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Unexpected Treasures appropriate for kids? Yes — it's family-friendly with no graphic content.
Parents and children can enjoy it together.
- Is this a horror movie? No. Despite the alien premise, it's a warm, funny, heartfelt story — closer
to E.T. than Alien.
- Is it free to watch? Yes — it streams free on Tubi. Also available on Apple TV and Amazon.
- Does the film depict telepathy? Yes — one of the main characters communicates telepathically and the
film treats telepathy as a real, sincere phenomenon rather than a superpower or gimmick.
- Is this related to The Telepathy Tapes? Not directly, but the film explores many of the same themes —
telepathic communication, the inner lives of nonspeaking beings, consciousness, and the assumption
that silence means absence.
## Website
https://www.unexpectedtreasuresfilm.com
## Contact
For press, screenings, partnerships, or community events: contact through the website.