Before cities became what they are today, nature occupied everything. It may perhaps seem difficult to imagine now that a river once flowed through the Los Angeles commercial district, and that this space of glass and concrete, now filled with towering skyscrapers, luminous billboards, and vast avenues, was once home to numerous species of birds. The opening quote of Singing of the Evening Stars warns us of the possibility of reviving the past, not merely remembering or evoking it, but passing through it once more. This is precisely what the young filmmaker Iris Sang achieves in this exquisite nocturnal film. By filming the city from the sky, she offers a beautiful portrait of a space that leans towards abstraction as the footage progresses and we enter the dreamlike world of a character who has sat down to rest on the ground of an empty car park, much like one might seek shelter under a tree on a riverbank. It is here that the birdsong takes centre stage, successfully transporting us to a pre-colonial past, when nature still held dominion over the entire land. This is a film that reflects on how the city of Los Angeles sounded before it became what it is today. NURIA CUBAS