O'er the Land

With the excuse of freedom, we lose so many things. — Silvio BarileO’er the Land is Deborah Stratman’s meditation on freedom and technological approaches to manifest destiny. She captures the marching-band battle cries of the country with a strong, controlled tone that proves its point but is extremely playful, too. Stratman documents the wild, wild worlds of gun shows—ones where you can fire machine guns in the forest and literally blow stuff up, reenactments of famous battles with historically accurate weapons and clothes (golf carts and Pepsi trucks in the wings), border disputes, and the organized frenzy of cheerleaders and motor homes. All are framed by the incredible experiences of Colonel William Rankin, who, in 1959, was forced to eject from his F8-U fighter jet at 48,000 feet without a pressure suit, only to get trapped for 45 minutes in the up-and-down drafts of a massive thunderstorm. Miraculously he survived.The scale of practicing war as a game is colossal and hard to grasp at times. Stratman captures the events she depicts with wonder rather than disdain. Her thoughtful framing of images and meticulous editing help us understand the absurdity in this dark path.
CAST

Deborah Stratman - Deborah Stratman is a Chicago-based artist and filmmaker interested in landscapes and systems. She is currently working on projects about manifest destiny, freedom, and paranormal occurrences in the information age. Stratman's work has exhibited and been awarded internationally. She teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Screenings:

Fri. Jan 16 11:30 a.m. - OERTH163D Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City
Tue. Jan 20 6:15 p.m. - OERTH204E Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
Fri. Jan 23 3:15 p.m. - OERTH234A Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City