Disenchanted by the modern world, Michael Lees heads into the forest of Dominica with some basic survival gear, religious texts and a camera. "Why did man ever leave the forest? And what makes for a good life?" Just as he starts to acclimatize to his new life - the unexpected; Category 5 Hurricane Maria, one of the top ten strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, makes a direct landfall. Michael is caught out in the open in a palm leaf and bamboo hut. With the nation in ruins, the forest destroyed, and essential services knocked out islandwide, the entire country must now return to a past way of life if they hope to survive.
Cinematography
Self-shot hurricane footage that's genuinely terrifying and intimate.
Direction
Lees turns personal catastrophe into collective island testimony.
Director
Michael Lees
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lees filmed entirely alone with solar-powered equipment; the camera survived when most of Dominica's infrastructure didn't.
Hurricane Maria killed over 3,000 Puerto Ricans and reduced Dominica's GDP by 226%—the film captures a Caribbean climate future already arriving.
DM
