Invisible Valley

As part of the Santa Barbara Film Festival we were able to see about 20 films including several documentaries. Invisible Valley by Aaron Maurer was certainly one of our favorites of this festival and proves to be a fascinating documentary film, superbly filmed and which presents the backstage of the idyllic American society. Invisible Valley deals with undocumented farm workers, wealthy snowbirds and music festival goers during a year in the Coachella Valley of California. Far from the glitz and glamour that accompanies the annual Coachella festival, this film offers an unvarnished account of a part of the United States that at first glance looks like a postcard, but for those who live there year-round, it is far from a modern fairy tale.

In the Coachella Valley, where you can find gigantic resorts, endless golf courses and a climate conducive to a dream vacation for the wealthy, the reality seems to be quite different. Many people work there in precarious conditions. Some immigrants, some of them in illegal immigration conditions, have to work for a pittance so that their crops can enrich some big owners and multinationals ready to do anything to fill their pockets without taking into account the human aspect of these people.

As this documentary shows, many workers live in very difficult conditions, some even sleeping in their trucks or even in the fields. This film sends out a strong alarm signal and shows that it is time to act to defend these people who live in the greatest poverty and are exploited.

In the same way, Invisible Valley alerts us to the deregulation of the climate and to the first important signs of a future that will not be very glorious for the next generations. In the same way, far from showing what the Coachella festival brings to this valley, whose edition of this year and last year were cancelled because of the covid 19 pandemic, the two directors have focused their attention on the farming community, most of which are migrant workers who are all looking for a disappeared El Dorado.

Invisible Valley deals with the continuing migrant crisis in the Coachella Valley with real intelligence and shows us once again that it is important to intervene to make a difference in the United States. Invisible Valley is an exciting film that brings about an important rethinking and debate. It is time to act before it is too late.

Invisible Valley
Directed by Aaron Maurer
Produced by Zach McMillan
Executive producer : Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad
Written by Aaron Maurer, Zachary D. McMillan
Music by Zach McMillan and Jonathan Jetter
Cinematography : Aaron Maurer
Edited by Aaron Maurer
Release date : March 31 , 2021 (SBIFF)
Running time : 87 minutes

Seen on April 4, 202 (SBIFF)

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