New York City, August 2017. It’s a month heavy with a society on the verge of catastrophe, the tension of a new President, growing anxiety over everything from rising rents to marching white nationalists, and unrelenting news of either wildfires or hurricanes on every coast.

At once a panoramic time capsule and a prophetic warning for the future, The Hottest August is a poetic portrait of collective anxiety in a time of crisis. With impassive narration and alien soundscapes, this remarkable documentary invokes the visionary spirits of Chris Marker and Patrick Keiller.