Director Terra Long explores the community of Coachella Valley through 16mm visuals of its landscapes and dates palms.
“Feet in Water, Head on Fire” is unlike any documentary I have ever seen.
Director Terra Long seemed to have a distinct vision for this film, which takes place in the Coachella Valley in Southern California. There is not a particular narrative; instead, Long uses visuals and different perspectives from the valley to paint a portrait of a community. She experiments with different types of shots and colors, which makes the film visually interesting.
The film primarily focuses on date palms – trees harvested for their sweet date fruit – and their importance in the Coachella Valley community. They seem to be very important for the film’s subjects’ lives and Long is able to use that as a way to get a sense of the community’s history for farming, festivals and connections to Africa and the Middle East.
The decision to shoot the film on a 16mm lens was fitting for the setting. The valley’s beauty really pops, and interestingly enough, the film was hand-processed using native plants of the area. Long lets the landscapes and date palms sit on the screen for extended periods of time, allowing the audience to take in the natural beauty.
The highlight of the film, for me, was the scene of a gigantic dust storm plowing through the valley, which made me question how Long was even able to film it. The sound and size of the storm was astounding, but seeing cars drive right through it makes you realize it is likely a common occurrence for residents.
There was also a sequence of flashing red dots with a personal anecdote about a past traumatic occurrence from a subject, with the lights slowly revealing themselves to be cars in the night driving on a highway. It was a little difficult to discern exactly what was happening and what the subject was alluding to, but the scene was brilliantly done. At first it seems abstract but eventually the shot comes together to show a normal view of the highway.
Long diverted from a traditional style of documentary filmmaking, avoiding narration and instead opting to create a more lived-in experience. The continuous takes make it feel like you are there in the valley, working on harvesting the date palms with the subjects. The themes are left alone to the audience’s interpretation instead of being directly told to them.
“Feet in Water, Head on Fire” is a little too slow at times and takes some energy to get through, but this meditative pacing speaks to the lives of the community’s residents. The date palm farmers work for long hours every day and the film gives viewers a look into their lives, like we are right there in Coachella Valley.
Edited by Egan Ward | eward@themaneater.comCopy edited by Lauren Courtney