The Illinois Parables

From dreamy aerial opening shots we are sent on an expedition through the storied land of our fifth most populous state Illinois often called a miniature version of America. Deborah Stratman’s experimental documentary explores how physical landscapes and human politics can each re-interpret historical events. Eleven parables relay histories of settlement removal technological breakthrough violence messianism and resistance. Who gets to write history—physical monuments official news accounts or personal spoken-word memories?