In his four-minute short film, Methuselah, writer/director Nathan Sellers ponders the juxtaposition between the great and mighty tree and its historical use in human violence.
Narrated by Jordan Mullins, Methuselah opens with a story he was told about the lynching of J. Thomas Ship and Abraham Smith on a tree that the speaker and their cousin stood beneath. The speaker then begins to explore the relationship between trees and various acts of violence, supported by powerful stills animated by shifts in color and moving images along the way.

“…told about the lynching of J. Thomas Ship and Abraham Smith…”
The powerful prose in Methuselah transitions from depicting the life flowing through the trees to showcasing the violence, torture, and death that humans have inflicted using trees throughout history. Jordan Mullins delivers a haunting recitation of Seller’s words, complemented by an equally haunting score by Abby Swidler.
Sellers effectively utilizes prose and imagery to demonstrate the power of short films to complement spoken words.
For more information about Methuselah, visit the Lone Horse Films official website.