Synopsis
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?
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Cast
- C. Felton Jennings IIHimself
- Anna ToborgHerself
- Joshua FriemanHimself
- José OubrerieHimself
- Daniel VerdierHimself
- David GattenHimself
Recommendations
- 80
The New York Times
The Illinois Parables is not, strictly speaking, an educational film, but it conveys a unique and precious kind of knowledge. - 75
Slant Magazine
Even more diverse than the film's historical material is its eccentric mash-up of styles and approaches. - 70
Village Voice
Stratman often juxtaposes static, serene landscape footage with an increasingly agitated soundtrack, arriving at an odd consonance amid so much dissonance. - 67
The Film Stage
The documentary’s vision of history as tied to spaces is more difficult to dismiss than its apparent weaknesses would suggest.