Awards: Audience Award, Best Documentary, Camden International Film Festival, 2025; Audience Choice, Documentary, New Hampshire Film Festival, 2026.

At first, Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong might seem like a film about sewage, but it quickly becomes a film about water, infrastructure, and the communities affected by it. The movie raises questions about public health and the systems that quietly shape everyday life. I first saw this film when it premiered at the Camden International Film Festival, and it was especially fun to watch because of how local it felt. As an Environmental Studies major, I spend a lot of time thinking about these topics, but this film grounded them in a way that felt immediate. I’ve visited a local wastewater treatment plant, so seeing that process on screen made it feel even more real, especially since it’s something most people rarely think about. What makes the film stand out is how it takes an unexpected subject and makes it extremely engaging. It brings attention to what usually goes unseen and asks viewers to think more carefully about what is at stake when things break down.

We chose to program Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong because it shows how film can take something overlooked and turn it into a new way of seeing. It connects environmental issues to everyday life in a way that feels especially relevant here in Maine. More than anything, it reminds us that the things we ignore are often the ones that matter most. (Written by Alexis González, ’26)