plagues and pleasures
I was going to post on this one earlier, but didn’t really know what to say about it. Some discussions yesterday got me thinking of it again. So, by popular request, I give you the oddest and most fulfilling environmental documentary I’ve seen, or at least remember watching. And I can almost guarantee you’ve never heard of the film or the body of water that is its subject.
I knew nothing of the Salton Sea. It’s a man-made sea based on a series of engineering mistakes and natural disasters. It’s been around for a hundred years and was once a hot spot for day trips. The direction and interviews do a great job of painting a picture of what the Salton Sea was, is, and will likely become. John Waters as narrator just adds another layer of odd to this already strange work.
The interviews that drive the story are the best part. The subjects range from scientists, old men and women, and poor children to a guy painting an adobe mountain in the name of his creator. The science, history, and misconceptions of the sea are explained right alongside Hungarian fans of Milwaukee’s Best. The contrast is hilarious and the science is thoughtful and persuasive without dipping into Micheal Moore (Sicko) territory.
There’s a sense of defeatism in the tone of the interviews and the characters there. These people are on the outskirts of civilization, around a salty lake that never should have existed, with no political weight to speak of. They know the water they boat in and fish out of will be taken by the larger metropolitans of San Diego and Los Angeles, but some muster a thinly veiled optimism. Others are so matter-of-fact that you almost have to laugh—no matter how much it stings to do so.
The music is great and graphics help to explain the science or commentary that are being discussed. It’s a very simple movie, but that’s the beauty of it. The director (who was at the screening I attended—’cause I am that cool) started out by saying the film was not an environmental movie. What’s fantastic is, it’s not. It’s just a movie about a sea that never should have been and, through the voices of those living around it, the unfortunate possibilities that could shake down if it were to disappear.
It’s a smart movie. It’s funny. It’s poignant. Find a way to see it, because it will at least hold your interest.
****