(drama) USA - 87 minutes Director: Mike Ott Writer: Atsuko Okatsuka, Mike Ott Producer: Drea Clark, Atsuko Okatsuka Executive Producer: Athina Rachel Tsangari Cast: Roberto Sanchez, Johanna Trujillo
“Lake Los Angeles” will be the third film of Mike Ott's Antelope Valley trilogy, following Littlerock (2010) and Pearblossom Hwy (2012). As with the first two films, we explore the topic of immigration, isolation, and belonging. This time, we follow the story of Roberto, a middle-aged Cuban immigrant working at a holding house, and Cecilia, a 10 year old Mexican girl who ends up at that house with no family members to fend for her.Cecilia's story is inspired by one of Mike's former students who, as a child, crossed the border with his sister. The children turned the daunting journey through the vast desert into a game, playing 'hide and seek' from immigration jeeps and helicopters to make the trip easier to cope with.In a similar fashion, Cecilia turns the desert into her own fantastical world - creating characters and stories to make the hopelessness of the empty landscape a survivable habitat.Through navigating what was supposed to be both Roberto and Cecilia's promise land, they find a common hope in each other while journeying through the hauntingly beautiful and desolate world that is Lake Los Angeles.
