'Last and First Men' juxtaposes a science fiction story written in 1930 with a haunting musical score and filmed images of the 'Spomenik'—futuristic, abstract stone monuments erected during the communist era in the former Yugoslav republics.
The narrator describes the life and society of a dying future race of humans while guiding us through a landscape of surreal and phantasmagorical monuments filmed in 16mm black and white. These structures, once intended as symbols of Unity and Brotherhood but now forgotten, derelict, and overgrown with vegetation, stand like lone, abandoned beacons, still beaming their message into the wilderness of the Balkan republics. The roving camera takes us through this futuristic landscape as we gradually learn about the tragic yet hopeful story of the last humans.
"A monumental essay on our impending doom – and reinvention" – Variety
"One of the most original sci-fi movies in recent memory“ – Indiewire
Join for a post-screening conversation with renowned award-winning cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen (Another Round, Victoria, War Sailor,...).
