Visit real life at ‘Bombay Beach’

“BOMBAY BEACH”

DVD widescreen, 2011, unrated

Best extra: “Where are they now?”

THIS DOCUMENTARY about life near a former tourist destination doesn’t feel like non-fiction. Director Alma Har’el has found an amazing cast of characters living and surviving around the Salton Sea, a California destination in the desert in the 1950s, now desolate and depressed.

The Salton Sea was formed in 1905 when the Colorado River overflowed, the movie briefly explains; articles and films have examined it from an environmental perspective. “Bombay Beach,” named after one of the former resort areas, looks at the people. Communities now look more like junkyards than neighborhoods on the former resort. Why would anyone live here? “Bombay Beach” shows their lives, raw. Some aspects are sad, yet there’s hope to be found in the simple ups and downs of life.

Among the inhabitants is a white family in trouble with the law after 9/11 for their love of explosives. They’re now trying to raise their children and the focus is on Benny, a young boy taking medicine for emotional disorders. His expressions and mannerisms are heartbreaking. CeeJay is a black teenager, hoping to get a scholarship and, ultimately, an NFL career. He has moved to be with his father after his cousin was killed in a Los Angeles gang shooting. CeeJay is grounded and falls in love with a white girl at his school. Then there’s Red, an old-timer and chain smoker who livens the community with his charm.

I got a tremendous look inside their thoughts and feelings and found them to be genuine people struggling to do better.

Har’el is an Israeli living in Los Angeles, 173 miles from the setting of her first film. The DVD includes three of her music videos, deleted scenes and commentary on certain scenes from the director and others who worked on the movie.

The music adds feeling to the documentary and includes a soundtrack of Bob Dylan songs, and even better, original music from Zach Condon of the band Beirut. Condon grew up in Newport News; the band performed at the NorVa last year. Find information about him at http://www.altdaily.com/features/music/music-reviews/concert-story-beiru...
Among other awards, “Bombay Beach” won best documentary feature at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.

— Patrick Wilson

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.