Sia: Nostalgic for the Present

Six strangers receive an alluring invitation to a rainforest retreat from an enigmatic host, but find themselves trapped by a mysterious force in a surreal psychological test.

Three wordless rituals: birth, between, and rebirth. A woman lies at the bottom of a swimming pool, alone. The camera pans her body. She starts to rise, then sinks; convulsions follow and then she rises and hovers above the pool. A shirtless man in white pants stands in an asphalt lot, a car visible on either side. Convulsions begin. The cars back up, still facing him and each other. They pause; they race toward him. He leaps. A youth, shirtless and in white shorts, stands in front of a tall building. Doors open, he enters and walks to an elevator. Convulsions strike him as he rides to a top floor, exits the elevator, pauses, and runs toward a window. He crashes through.

Universal Machine is a meditation on the ultimate fate of humanity's relationship with technology. Featuring music by Philip Glass, the film follows a gifted young woman who awakens into a post-apocalyptic world and must transcend a violent confrontation with a lifelike Artificial Intelligence. Progressing through an elaborate sequence of dance and fight choreography, the action of the film beckons towards an evolved future of peace and compassion.