Jenni Olsen’s cinematic essay based around the Camino Real which was once the main route from California to Mexico is a very esoteric nostalgic look at the rapidly changing landscape between San Francisco and Las Angeles. Part history lesson, part tribute to all the Missions that line the route, and part recounting of an impossible lesbian affair, Olsen displays an overly serious and almost religious tone in her very dry monotoned narration that accompanies this.
The documentary itself consists of a series of long static takes of carefully selected panoramas of near empty views that show a different side of California than most of us recognize, and one that Olsen obviously craves will stop being eroded and changed by time.
It’s a highly personal film that has being gaining some traction at Film Festivals that cater for avant-garde genre, but as it lacks anything like a compelling, or even cohesive take, this one will really appeal just to the filmmaker’s die hard fans.
Labels: 2016, documentary, lesbian, Sundance
