Archive of films Rock Bottom Riser / Rock Bottom Riser

USA
2021, 70 min

Section: Imagina
Year: 2021

Are we able to gaze up into the universe yet ignore the ground we’re standing on? Flowing like lava, this essayistic piece reveals something of the colonial burden of Western science while, at the same time, eclectically interweaving rational arguments with performative sequences. The film also considers the indigenous perspective, set in vivid contrast to the dehumanised shots of modern machinery and imposing compositions of the Hawaiian landscape.


Synopsis

The plan to construct a huge telescope on the sacred peak of Mauna Kea sparks controversy on Hawaii. Are we able to gaze up into the universe yet ignore the ground we’re standing on? This essayistic film reveals something of the colonial burden of contemporary Western science and places its advances in surprising contexts. Astronomers resemble mediaeval cartographers creating little maps for future expeditions. Polynesian boats might perhaps serve as a model for futuristic spacecraft. Flowing like lava, the film eclectically interweaves rational arguments with performative sequences, while the indigenous perspective is set in striking contrast to the dehumanised shots of hypermodern machinery and breathtaking compositions of the Hawaiian landscape.

Ondřej Pavlík

About the director

Fern Silva

Fern Silva (1982, USA/Portugal). Selected filmography: Sahara Mosaic (2009, short), In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails (2010, short), Scales in the Spectrum of Space (2015, short doc.), Ride Like Lightning, Crash Like Thunder (2017, short), The Watchmen (2017, short), Rock Bottom Riser (2021, doc.).

Contacts

Fern Silva
E-mail: [email protected]

About the film

Color, DCP

Section: Imagina
   
Director: Fern Silva
Dir. of Photography: Fern Silva
Music: Sergei Tcherepnin, Lea Bertucci
Editor: Fern Silva
Producer: Fern Silva
Contact: Fern Silva
YouTube

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