From dreamy aerial opening shots, we are sent on an expedition through the storied land of our fifth most populous state, Illinois, often called a miniature version of America. Deborah Stratman’s experimental documentary explores how physical landscapes and human politics can each re-interpret historical events. Eleven parables relay histories of settlement, removal, technological breakthrough, violence, messianism, and resistance. Who gets to write history—physical monuments, official news accounts, or personal spoken-word memories?
Direction
Stratman treats Illinois like a crime scene and a cathedral.
Cinematography
Drone shots that make cornfields feel cosmic and haunted.
Sound
Spoken-word memories layered like geological strata.
Director
Deborah Stratman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Stratman shot the aerial sequences herself using a DIY drone rig in 2014, predating most commercial drone cinematography.
The film's 2016 release intentionally coincided with America's 240th birthday, a sly provocation about whose independence gets celebrated.
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