Bombay Beach

If you have a creative bone in your body then see this film. I took a chance and was astounded at how good this work of art is. Everything Gummo was not this beauty is. The subjects are interesting enough on their own but the subject matter and characters are not the center piece but how she creates astounding scenes using the subjects in creative ways to weave a larger story just blew me away. A little boy struggling with the effects of multiple behavioral medications suddenly falls into a dreamlike trance and becomes a fireman riding a giant fire truck. A little boy and girl act out going on a date before dumping water all over each other in hilarious laughter. Two teenagers in love suddenly put on theatrical masks and dance together in slow and sensual synchronization. One minute an old man is comatose and near death on a gurney in the ER and the next he is racing in the desert on his ATV, which I think actually happened. It is the juxtaposition of the stark reality of their poverty and problems with their dreams that so pleasantly surprises. As great as the writing and editing is the sum total of the parts work together to create a film that takes you on a magical mystery tour through this desert community near the Salton Sea. Simply phenomenal and hopefully the first of many.

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.

Once a saline oasis for the Californian elite, Bombay Beach is one of a number of former resort towns dotted around the inland Salton Sea, fashioned in 1905 when heavy rainfall caused the Colorado River to breach its banks. Fish were first introduced in the 1930s, and by the 1950s the tourist trade was booming; Sinatra would perform in the area and Eisenhower would also make an appearance. By 1970 however, the former hotspot was deserted. Rising water levels had destroyed much of the infrastructure, and further investment dried up entirely. Har'el's 'Bombay Beach' explores what is left of the town, a refuge for the lost, the senile and the sick. And yet, in their desire to escape the reality of that where they have come, Bombay Beach recoups its image as a destination of choice, of value - it may not offer much, but its inhabitants seek the solace and contemplation its isolation offers.

Very depressing and a part of America that is all over the place and that thinks Donald Trump is their saviour. Very sad showing the demise and disintegration of what was once a great country. The lack of compassion and education in America Many great natioins of the past are no longer and America is going down hill fast

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.