THE COACHELLA VALLEY is a land of contradictions, replete with mystery, toxicity, folk tales, and terrifying beauty. Set in the California desert, the valley is famous for its date-palm tree farms amid a growing network of golfing communities and residences for America’s aging wealthy. The farmers, mainly of Mexican origin, and golfers, overwhelmingly white and privileged, co-exist with the Cahuilla Indigenous people, who are exploring their own roots while gradually growing in influence. Barely visible to each other, they all inhabit a land dominated by the San Andreas Fault, where two tectonic plates are forcing deeply buried water to the surface and forming oases until the inevitable disaster occurs, when powerful earthquakes will devastate the region.
Terra Long’s immersive, quirky film offers a deliberately imperfect rendering of the fractured realities in Coachella. Even her, the valley has become famous and palm trees have become an important part of California pop culture.
