This speculative documentary is set in a small desert town in the American state of New Mexico. It subtly takes place in a near future when humans are leaving Earth to colonize other planets. Hannah Jayanti defines speculative documentary as documentary footage placed into a fictionalised context. The premise is based on real events – there is a town called Truth or Consequences and it lies in the shadow of the world’s first commercial spaceport, which aims to start space tourism in 2020.
As with science fiction, Jayanti takes what is nascent today and treats it as though it is already happening. This speculative approach creates new spaces for connecting and listening to the people who are the true heart of the film. The film combines documentary cinema, a science fiction premise, experimental virtual reality images and an improvised score by Bill Frisell, in a lyrical meditation on man’s eternal urge to seek new frontiers, how we navigate loss, and finding what we’re looking for in the unlikeliest of places.
Trailer
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Film details
- Country of production
- USA
- Year
- 2020
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2020
- Length
- 102'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
