Bechtler Museum: Modernism + Film Series Finale: “Last Things”

Last Things by Deborah Stratman traces its origins to J.-H. Rosny’s novellas, exploring natural, prehistoric, and speculative themes. Inspired by Rosny’s pluralist vision of evolution, the film intertwines diverse influences—Roger Caillois’ writings on stones, Robert Hazen’s theory on Mineral Evolution, Clarice Lispector’s Hour of the Star, Lynn Margulis’ Symbiosis theory, Donna Haraway’s multi-species scenarios, Hazel Barton’s cave microbe research, and Marcia Bjornerud’s time literacy. The narrative, blending science fiction and science fact, features passages from Rosny and interviews with Bjornerud, challenging the centrality of humankind in evolutionary processes. Stones serve as the film’s anchor, connecting with alien durations and highlighting the transient nature of archives, where only particles endure.