The human race is old, but rocks are timeless. Weaving stunning imagery with evocative text and interviews, Last Things observes the history of all of us and this planet Earth through the most essential parts—evolution and extinction, from the point of view of rocks. 

In a distinctive style seen throughout her long career, Deborah Stratman skillfully combines pure science with speculative fiction, not to give you an answer to the meaning of life, but to provide sounds, images and ideas to contemplate. Through both microscopic and landscape photography, we see the luscious textures of rocks and matter and our handprints on it. Texts from writers enhance the journey, ranging from the creators of the science fiction genre to experts of stream-of-consciousness reflections. Stratman blurs the borders of poetry, narrative and fact in an ethereal adventure. As one interviewee states, "Rocks have a history, but they don't remember it."

With scientists and thinkers like Lynn Margulis and Marcia Bjørnerud as guides and quoting from the proto-sci-fi texts of J.H. Rosny, Deborah Stratman offers a stunning array of images, from microscopic forms to vast landscapes, and seeks a picture of evolution without humans at the center.

D: Deborah Stratman, US, 2023, 50m

Part of the Dartmouth Film Society "Green Screen" series exploring humanity's relationship with the natural world.