Filmed in the aftermath of the 2022 Lismore floods, this documentary moves like water, dipping into the lives of various townspeople with fluid ease
Healing and renewal are core subjects of this elegantly crafted and emotionally layered documentary about the New South Wales town of Lismore, and the devastating floods that hit the region in 2022. It’s a film that evokes reflection and rumination rather than shock or grief, entrusting the audience with something cherished. Director Jordan Giusti does a fine job marrying people and place, wrapping them together like a double helix, understanding that locations mean little without the stories of those who inhabit them.
We encounter several of the town’s residents, including Eli and Jess, who met after the floods and – in their words – “immediately hit it off and fell in love”. “If the floods didn’t happen, this would never have happened,” says Eli. It’s a beautiful instance of doom and bloom, a phrase often invoked in discussions of the climate crisis speaking to joy as an adaptive strategy and the potential for social and cultural connections to accelerate during disastrous times – all of which are captured by the film.