In her short film Mesopotamia, TX, director/writer Lucy Gamades presents the chance meeting of two strangers (Megan Greener and Nicky Maindiratta) at a solar eclipse gathering on a hilltop in Texas. The woman is clearly aware of how to dress and supply for a prolonged hike. She is carrying water and has solar viewing glasses to look at the eclipse. The young man, on the other hand, is a tourist in impractical shoes and a red cowboy hat. He states that he has just come from the airport.
While they are never named, they hit it off and, within minutes, reach a comfort level where they can trade embarrassing secrets and drop the initial superficial politeness to have a deep conversation about faith and science. He is not a religious person, but she is. She feels that the presence of the deity is all around her. He points out that gravity, mass, and orbits create the eclipse in a repeatable, predictable fashion to such an extent that they know exactly when and where to come to see it.
“…a chance meeting at a solar eclipse gathering on a hilltop in Texas….”
They both seem lonely and are searching for something. The awe-inspiring moment of the eclipse and the joy of connecting with someone are in brief conjunction for them as they revel in the joy of the celestial event. The title comes from a comment the man makes about this experience being universal over the existence of human intelligence throughout history, a connection from ancient Mesopotamia to here and now.
The film was made during an actual eclipse, and Gamades shot it in 16mm stock. The technical accomplishment alone for an indie short is impressive. The performances from Greener and Maindiratta are naturalistic and authentic. Gamades discusses the challenge in her director’s statement: “We hauled three 16mm cameras to the top of a rock I visited on a seventh-grade field trip. We learned too much about different weather models around the kitchen table, rehearsed the script like a play in the backyard, and shotgunned Lone Stars on the porch when it was all over. The reactions to the eclipse in the film are genuine and were shared by everyone there: cast, crew, and spectators alike. A million little things needed to line up, and they did.”
Having witnessed an eclipse in totality myself in 2024, I can attest to the feeling of awe at the sight, shared by the faithful and faithless alike, Whether you think a deity made the eclipse to remind you of its presence and power or you enjoy the expression of simple orbital mechanics, the terrifying/wonderful sense of being part of the machinery of the universe is the same. Sharing it with someone forges a lifetime bond. Gamades captures all that perfectly in Mesopotamia, TX.
"…Gamades captures the terrifying/wonderful sense of the eclipse perfectly "
