Where's a Mike Mandel Selfie in Dodger Stadium When You Really Need It?

Los (2001)
directed by James Benning
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from University of New Mexico Interlibrary Loan

It isn't that Benning's compositions are cold; there's plenty of sun and movement, and a marble-run pleasure in watching each section play out. But people, not industry, make cities compelling, and I saw a tourist's perspective in the director's shyness in only framing LA at distances that favor vehnicles, grids, and construction. Is he better in rural spaces in part because natural surroundings can't help but overwhelm faces and gestures?

(He's attentive to Los Angeles voices, at least: the soundtrack, recorded in an eavesdropper's earshot, is warm with the accents and languages of the city.)