Shifting Baselines

October 17 screening with filmmaker Julien Élie in attendance

At the southern tip of Texas, surrounded by pristine wetlands, lies Boca Chica. In 2018, Elon Musk chose this coastal town for SpaceX’s new headquarters. The village is now dominated by towering 50-story Starships. Most residents have moved out; access to the beach is becoming harder as SpaceX gains control of the area.

The village has become a mecca for space-junkies dreaming of Mars as an escape from Earth’s problems. Across the Rio Grande, Mexican families fish under the watchful eye of the border patrol. One group of people dreams of leaving, another would risk everything to call it home.

Meanwhile, scientists worry about the effects of this current Space Race. The 1970s “Kessler syndrome” warned that space debris collisions could trigger a chain reaction, destroying everything in orbit. Once unlikely, this is now a real concern for many astrophysicists. A shift has occurred, both in the sky and on Earth. Are these visions of a promising future or reckless ambitions leading to our own demise? Somehow, the entirety of the hopes and dreams, the fears and misgivings of our human-species are on display here, on the banks of the Rio Grande, in the small Texan town of Boca Chica.