Bombay Beach

I have reviewed a ton of films...more than anyone else so far on IMDb. So I obviously love movies...all sorts of movies. And, with nearly 20,000 reviews I am going to admit something I've almost never done...I bailed on this movie and never finished it because I simply was having a miserable time watching "Bombay Beach"...a documentary about three very different sorts of poor people living in a hellish moribund town along the banks of the dying Salton Sea in Southern California.

Now a documentary about the Salton Sea can be very interesting...and I've seen one that kept my interest. After all, an ENORMOUS lake was formed in the middle of the desert and became a paradise, of sorts, for several decades. Folks flocked here because of the beachside communities and there was a tremendous land boom in the 1950s. But over the years, the salt level of the water has continued to increase to the point that many of the fish species have been wiped out and the once terrific place is now a smelly dead zone. This is very fascinating. But the makers of Bombay Beach have chosen instead NOT to tell the story of this area but instead focus on three trashy sorts of guys....and therein lies the problems. Listening to a crazy old guy rant and rave or a high school student talking about scoring with girls or an emotionally disturbed little boy from a bizarre family simply isn't entertaining...it's just sad. It's also about as enjoyable as chewing on an electric cord that IS plugged in...that's what I felt about this meandering and often annoying film. To make it worse, sometimes the cinematography was fuzzy...making it annoying AND tough on the eyes. No thank you.

This film is a pathetic and condescending exploitation of some of the poorest, down and out people in the Western world.

All of the slobbery compliments and awards that speak of the "beauty" and "poetry" of the film yet scarcely mention the subjects bear this out.

All in all an egotistical, self-serving device for a privileged, out of touch director.

This documentary has a lot going for it. Beautiful cinematography. Morbidly interesting subject matter. Something of a story line. Curious characters. And the Salton Sea itself-I have seen this on maps since I was in the 7th and wondered what kind of people live there. But I couldn't decide if it was simply a documentary filmmaker filming real life as it occurred or if it was a scripted story, forced to tell the story the filmmaker wanted us to see. The dance and soundtrack sequences had to be almost certainly staged. Some of the conversations had to be staged. I rated this film 8 out of 10 anyway, because if it wasn't always real life, I believed I could see real life just behind a very transparent curtain.

Should a piece of film stand on its own merits or is it okay to be informed by the intentions of the film maker? In this case, I recommend that viewers read the interview of director Alma Har'el by philconcannon which can be found on a message board.

This film is not a documentary. It is not a drama. It is, indeed, part musical because some sequences are choreographed. But director Har'el advises that she wants to transcend genres. The result is a hybrid form that must be analyzed to be understood.

The film centers on three individuals who actually exist. They live near the Salton Sea--a decaying area that is part desert wasteland and part deteriorating infrastructure. Those who live in this isolated and forgotten area might be considered detritus that has washed up on the beach.

However, a society does exist there and many of the individuals make the most of their unfortunate circumstances. One character, Red, is an elderly gentleman who says he enjoys life, but seems to spend much of his time smoking and dealing cigarettes. Cedric is a black teen who relocated from LA out of desperation, trying to escape urban violence. Benny is a young boy who deals with mental imbalances and the debilitating effects of the drugs he takes to combat them.

Some have suggested that the film is a condemnation of the American Dream. On the contrary, the film celebrates those who endure hardships and still dream. Cedric has aspirations for the NFL. Benny wants to be a fireman. Har'el uses their comments as voice overs, giving the film a philosophical tone.

The end result is a sometimes sad, sometimes hopeful portrayal of an area. A slice of life. And a frank look at a world populated by misfits and survivors. In the credits, director Har'el gives a nod to the "surreal and beautiful Bombay Beach", providing a clue to her feelings.

The complexity of the characters performed in a minimalist way was very refreshing. How naked and honest the emotions of this film evoke in me is a priceless feeling that I cherish every so often I get the chance now days. The duality of emotional contrasts is very present in each character vividly. I feel in love with the little boy with a BIG LIFE and how he just wants normalcy, also his tired, worn down mother who is uneducated, unfit (at times), and strong in the same respect. I think that Alma projected each story line in a concise and efficient way that can be felt by a skeleton. The old man is a great well deserved lull or break from the emotional content and serves as a sort of narrator of the spirit of the film and the meaning that I personally got, being resilient through life and also loving life as it happens. Sometimes the camera work was shaky (i personally get motion sickness easily) but overall It was an exceptional work of art, also a very human, organic piece of art. It left me hoping the best for every character, and that is a great ability; to make people feel human, emotions, and love. PS. i gave it a 10 because it is better than the 6.7 rating it has at the current time PSS. shotout to Carson Daily for putting a spotlight on a great work of art, even though universal picked up the film and universal produces his show, I appreciate this movie.