AllMovie

Filmmaker Alma Har'el profiles the people and places of Bombay Beach, the small community on the edge of California's Salton Sea. Back in the 1950s, the Salton Sea was the premiere vacation destination for folks looking to have some fun in the sun, and in the water. From the working class to the Hollywood elite, people from all across the country flocked to this scenic rift lake, and it didn't take long for local entrepreneurs to recognize the potential for profit. As restaurants sprung up and nightclubs overflowed with wealthy clientele, the community thrived. Now, at the turn of the 21st Century, flooding and poor water flow has rendered the Salton Sea a virtual ghost town - the death of the American dream personified. But within this dusty former boomtown, life still flourishes. For young bipolar Benny Parish, it's a place to let his vivid imagination run wild, and for aspiring football player CeeJay Thompson, it's a refuge from the Los Angeles gang violence that claimed the life of his beloved cousin. Meanwhile, former oil field worker Red subsists on whiskey and nicotine. Choreographed dance sequences in which the subjects of the documentary dance to the music of Beruit and Bob Dylan lend Bombay Beach a unique feeling unlike any documentary you've ever experienced before.