‘A Desert Trilogy’ Part Two: The Interview
While researching the ‘Desert Trilogy’ films, I got in touch with co-writer and director Mike Ott to get some more information about them. Our conversation is below, and you can read the original article here.
John Bogna: In the director’s statement for Pearblossom Hwy, you say that “the abandoned youth in the small towns of America”, “the fallacy of the American dream” and immigration are some of the central themes of your work. Did you choose to shoot out here because you thought the area illustrated those themes?
Mike Ott: Well, I do think that area illustrates some of those issues, but it’s not exclusive to them either. I mean, anywhere you go in California you can throw a rock in any direction and the theme of immigration is prevalent. That aside, for me the desert is such an interesting place to be dealing with these issues since on one hand when you’re out there you feel like you’re (at times) alone and on another planet and at the same time issues like race, class, etc all still exist. There’s a mystery about the desert that I don’t quite understand yet and maybe I never will, but that mystery is what always calls me back out there to explore.
JB: These characters tell the stories of immigrants to the US from countries like Japan, Cuba, and Mexico; did you notice anything common to all their experiences while researching/writing this trilogy?
MO: I think for me what I found compelling is that growing up in Southern California and living in a town that was mostly white and Hispanic is that I (and most people in my community probably) consider the immigrant story to be Mexicans coming to the US. However, I started to meet people from all other cultures and backgrounds who were immigrants as well, they just were the ones no one talks about (Asians, French, Eastern Europeans) or at least not in a “hot button” issue kind of way.
JB: You grew up in Valencia, which-like the AV-has pockets of very stereotypically conservative people. Were you using Corey’s character to illustrate and critique that mindset in ‘Littlerock’?
MO: Yeah, Valencia does remind me of the AV a lot, I think for me Cory represents a version of all of us. He’s like watching a raw nerve, he has no filter and he wears his heart (and his insecurities) on his sleeve. That’s what’s beautiful about him and something I really admire, which is his ability to be so open and honest. We’ve all been the one who hasn’t fit in at some point, who didn’t get the girl, who was misunderstood, etc. And I think Cory is a good reflection of that in cinema.
In a lot of ways I was less interested in critiquing stereotypical behavior in the conservative bourgeois society, but more in the underclass. I find it interesting when communities who are dealing with bigotry turn on each other (a poor African American youth being homophobic towards Cory for instance) instead of banding together to fight the actual enemy.
JB: All three movies have some sexual content, particularly with Atsuko’s character in the first and second movies. Some people might find that unnecessary or offensive. Why did you and Atsuko decide to include these scenes? What do you think they bring to the story?
MO: For me sex is a huge part of our lives. It defines us in a lot of ways, some times out in the open, sometimes in secret. And sexuality and sex is complicated and I like the idea of taking characters who are good on one hand but maybe have a penchant for some sexual act that most may find deviant, but does that make the character any less important or human or good for that matter?
JB: According to the Small Form website, another film in the series- ‘Lancaster’-is scheduled to be released in 2015, and that will be a prelude to ‘California Dreams’ in 2016. Will previous characters like Francisco, Cecilia, Corey and Atsuko be coming back or will this be a completely new story?
MO: Basically I’m doing a series of shorts that will eventually all be part of the longer feature film, which is California Dreams. Lancaster is the first one I recently finished and I’m currently editing the second one, which is called Valencia. The film(s) deal with outsiders who have longed to be part of the film industry (actor, director, writer, etc) but have maybe never had the chance. It’s part documentary, part fiction, which is my favorite kind of filmmaking. As for what characters will cross over from my past work, Cory will for sure. As for the others, that’s yet to be determined. I’ve found a new crop of outsiders that I’m interested in and looking forward to seeing where they take me.
This story was originally published in the Acton/Agua Dulce News, Lake Los Angeles News, and Rosamond News.
