(excerpts from SEX WITHOUT THREAT, a diary for the film The Stars Down To Earth):
• Adorno—in his purposeful, justified and pragmatic critique (myopia as tactic to scorn)—did not even conduct evident field research.
• The film The Stars Down to Earth is named after his 1952/53 essay, and acts as its somatic secretary.
• Shot in early 2015, the 24 minute film performs as part sci-fi thriller, part documentary, part idealist anti-secrecy forecast.
• Astrologers from the Carroll Righter Astrological Foundation Trust (CRAFT) divine events for 2015 and 2016—including, reading the star charts for America (Cancer), Paris (Virgo), Russia (Libra), Snowden (Gemini) and Chelsea Manning (Sagittarius). Coupled with their predictions is the reincarnation of mythological prophetess Kassandra (Henry Hopper, Virgo) and god Apollo (Afia Fields, Pisces) in 2015 Los Angeles (Virgo) and 2015 Athens (???).
• In The Oresteia, Kassandra names Apollo's violent rape more bearable than the denial of her truth—this disavowal sparks for Kassandra a kind of hysteric anarchy, where she attempts to fool fate and create a dimensional transparency and chaos in defiance of Apollo and those around her (the world).
• In the film, Kassandra’s divinations and access to past/present/future information see her momentarily and perhaps mistakenly identify with the whistle-blowers the astrologers chart in their predictions. Both live in multi-temporality (extreme knowing). And both are threatened with not only imprisonment, physical harm or rape, but worse—erasure.
CAST & CREW
Apollo: Afia Fields
Kassandra: Henry Hopper
Aries: Tashi Condelee
Pythia: Paola Revenioti
Scorpio: John Sweet
Astrologers: Cynthia MacAdams, Jack Taub, Doug Lee
Psychics: Veronica Monae, Silvia Romero, James Raymond
Writing, Editing, Direction: Margaret Haines
Writing Assistance: Tashi Condelee, Henry Hopper
Astrological Assistance: Cynthia MacAdams, Jack Taub
Music and Original Score: Patrick Dyer
Production Manager: Teague Schneiter
Assistant Director: Giulia Caruso
Cinematography: Dan O
Styling: Alexandra Cassaniti
Production Assistant: Nick Flessa
Storyboard: Jacob Winkler
Sound Recordist Jake Viator
Sound Design: Sharkee
DIT: Chip Yamata
Lighting: Andrew Clark
Steadicam: Ted Newsome
Makeup: Sarah Hall
Animal Care: Nav Navarone
Store: Courtesy of Joseph Kaseye
Studio: Courtesy of Alex Becerra
Supported in part by:
The Canada Council for the Arts
Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten
& ltd los angeles