Fear Death by Water

Synopsis

In Fear Death by Water, we enter the world of Dead Stirnerman and Solid Mercury who run an artist's television programme. Gravely affected by economic, cultural, and ecological crisis, the state makes a grand survey of what work is most essential to see what should be forbidden, and artists are found to be bottom of the pile in public opinion. When Solid Mercury pivots towards ecology in order to secure financial support for exploiting former office workers as farming interns, she soon discovers that achieving a bountiful harvest is more difficult than it seems and begins scheming to escape her predicament. Presuming a connection between magic and nature, Dead Stirnerman and Solid Mercury invite Arsenal Magus, Amsterdam's most famous art witch, to appear on their show with the aim of deceiving her in to helping them cheat their way to a harvest that will satisfy their commitments. However, when their ill intent causes the rituals to go awry will it be the hosts of the show, their guest, or their overexploited interns who ultimately pay the price for messing with cosmic forces? Continuing the themes of Leslie Lawrence and Sophia Simensky's 'The Fire Sermon', this short film addresses the idea of 'essential' work and its relation to the economic effects of the global pandemic and climate change, focusing on the disconnect between economic hierarchy and sensible social ecology.