It takes a certain type of person to willfully leave behind life on Earth forever in hopes of colonizing a new planet.
Filmmaker Peter Savodnik and his short-form documentary company Stateless Media set out to explore such a mindset by telling the stories of three of the 660 people vying for a one-way trip to the Red Planet as part of a worldwide competition called Mars One. Putting technical and scientific considerations aside, the 10-minute film, If I Die on Mars, delves into the lives of three far-flung candidates. It focuses not just on their intense enthusiasm for the prospect of exploring Mars, but also the sense of longing and frustration that fuels their urge to escape their own planet.
“We’re alternately fascinated and a little bit troubled by the idea of people wanting to go away forever,” Savodnik told Mashable. “I think it’s fair to say that everyone involved felt like we learned a great deal about these people and how they think.”