The Utopians

Filmmakers Frederick Bernas and Nico Muñoz follow the artist and scientist Joaquín Fargas as he embarks on a quest to reveal the environmental impact of extracting lithium, a key component of electric cars – which aren’t necessarily as sustainable as some would like you to believe. Fargas has created the “Rabdomante” robot, a solar caterpillar that collects condensation in arid deserts. Its name is derived from “rhabdomancy,” a supposedly divine ability to discover hidden water sources or minerals; but how many thousands of these machines would be needed to produce a real change? It seems absurd to think about – but doing nothing at all would be even worse.