Clément Postec & Pauline Julier
Switzerland, France, Chile | 2023 | 51 min
World premiere
Languages : Spanish, English, French
Subtitles : French, English
Set in the hyperarid Atacama Desert in Chile, Follow the Water hints at an apocalyptic future. Scientists conduct research into the planet Mars from the edge of a lithium mine, while an indigenous woman fights for the right to water… Through an immersive device, the directors invite us on a multilayered exploration of a territory.
We are in 2021, in Chile’s hyper-arid Atacama Desert. Follow the Water features an eclectic exploration of this landscape through the prism of water. One of the largest lithium mines in the world is based here, where scientists conduct research into the planet Mars (“Follow the Water” is also the name of a NASA research programme on Mars), while an indigenous woman fights for her right to access the water... In parallel, Pauline Julier and Clément Postec’s film tells the story of an unsettling search for the origin of life. Diverse fields of knowledge - ranging from astrobiology and quantum physics to artificial intelligence - make up this cosmogonic exploration, which gives us a glimpse into the Earth’s potentially apocalyptic future. Deploying three simultaneous moving images in an original split-screen device, the filmmakers invite us into a playful game of spaces and temporalities. Follow the Water is a fascinating and immersive journey through the depths of the ocean, the Earth and space.
Alice Riva
Clément Postec
