California Company Town

The ultimate phase in the conquest of the West, California is the shining example of the American dream. In California Company Town, the natural beauty of California is reduced to pictures. The towns that grew out of the exploitation of minerals, forests and earth lasted only as long as the profit did. When it vanishes, the town dies. In Californian history, the ghost town is not just an occasional hiccough but a permanent backdrop. Lee Anne Schmitt’s vision borders on a horror film. Her journey takes her to the spectacular site that hosted the making of The Planet of the apes and Terminator II. For her, though, the disaster is not for tomorrow, in some imaginary future: it has already happened. There are no characters in this film, where the greed for capital spawns a desert-just shadows and, on the sound track, the constant roar of traffic. (Yann Lardeau)