By snoadmin
East of San Diego and south of Palm Springs sits California’s largest lake: a 376 square-mile body of water that few have even heard of called the Salton Sea.
Today, one finds the lake coughing up thousands of dead birds and fish each year, a habitual practice that gives the sea its new distinction of being one of America’s worst ecological disasters.
But it wasn’t always this way. The Salton Sea – which was created on accident – was once known as the “California Riviera.” Not too long ago, this desert hotspot attracted more visitors each year than Yosemite National Park. It was a beautiful paradise that has since become a beautifully rotten sewer in the middle of the California desert.
The story of the Salton Sea is a uniquely Californian one like no other in the United States, possibly the world. It is a story of death and life, pessimism and optimism, follies and successes.
Gracefully chronicling this complicated, contradicting and fascinating saga are Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer, co-directors and photographers of the documentary “Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea.”
Though other projects have highlighted the dead birds and water politics of the Salton Sea, the directors felt nothing had been done yet that told a deeper story.
“Most films that have been done about the Salton Sea have focused on the environmental and water issues, which are frankly quite dry. After seeing a few of them, I thought, ‘No wonder no one wants to save the Salton Sea,'” Springer said. “We thought that by showing the human side of the issue and creating an entertaining and personal portrait of the community, we could do more to save the sea than any wildlife video.”
Fortunately, none of the characters, including “Hungarian revolutionaries, Christian nudists, pop stars, land sharks, hard drinkers” and a mountain-building man fail to disappoint showing the human side of the sea paradise lost.
In explaining what drew the duo out to see more of the desolate land, Metzler said, “Jeff and I both attended USC film school and during that time, I’d occasionally go for drives, exploring the area, seeing what’s around. Coming from Missouri, I wasn’t used to the desert and needless to say, it interested me.
“It’s just so barren, [there’s] no trees, no grass, no cities. You’re in the middle of this vast emptiness, and given my bizarre affinity for apocalyptic scenarios, I found it all strangely beautiful.”
That fascination with the former utopia-turned apocalypse is nothing short of amazing in this documentary. The two directors in their travels around the ghost towns surrounding the sea photograph decaying formerly flooded buildings, dead fish, beautiful sunsets and abandoned motels.
But exactly how do Metzler and Spring summarize their journey in the desert?
“Four years, two sunburned guys, one melted camera, 120-degree heat, 75 percent humidity, dust storms, earthquakes, beautiful sunsets, flooded towns, palm trees, air boat rides, double-wides, bombing ranges, amputees, meth addicts, swinging seniors, naked Christians, mooning Hungarians, infatuated 11-year-olds, dead shit, botulism, toxic muck, an unfathomable stench and a whole lot of cash – all washed down with a warm 40-oz beer,” Metzler said.
The film combines its humor, tragedy and optimism for the sea’s restoration in one beautiful package, which is no wonder why the documentary has won 30 awards for best documentary and the HBO Producer’s Award at the Savannah Film Festival.
Too bad there’s no such award at the Daily Forty-Niner because the film’s number would become 31.
“Plagues & Pleasures” will be screened at 5:45 and 7:45 p.m. through April 26 at Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex, 345 S. Figueroa St., in downtown Los Angeles.
