ARID CUT
The Beginning
Rail and Mitra, young poets on a stolen motorcycle, search for Arid Cut, a place which doesn’t exist, and Bert Neville, a father who has disappeared. Aunt Sandy who lives in her car down by the tracks gives them a clue. Vietnam vets and wildcat carpenters, Travis and Ziggy, lose their jobs. Karin, a homeless addict, and Taylor, a black rapper, resist real estate developers. With no more west to escape to the seekers head east into the unknown.
ARID CUT: World Premiere, Mill Valley Film Festival, October, 2019.
CENTER DIVIDE
The Road Not Taken
Our seekers find mountains, deserts, and small towns ringed with forest fires. Their truck blows a gasket leaving Travis, Ziggy and Karin on foot, lost in the desert. Local characters provide clues to Bert Neville and Arid Cut. Entrepreneurs propose a geothermal resort to local ranchers. Dane, half Modoc and half Scottish, confronts Rail with the stolen bike and describes the 1863 Modoc war with the US Cavalry. He and his friend Jan invite them on a trip to a traditional tribal site. When Rail goes on a drunken rampage, Mitra is left to accompany them alone. A dangerous accident occurs and Rail rushes back to find her. Will she survive and the voyage to Arid Cut continue?
CENTER DIVIDE: World Premiere, Mill Valley Film Festival, October, 2021.
FAULT LINE
End of the Line
A ten-year drought brings local ranches to the brink of disaster. The search for Bert Neville takes its toll on Rail and Mitra. They break up, Rail continues on alone and Mitra stays with Zelma, a maverick, independent rancher. Ziggy and Karin are rescued and Travis remains lost in a burnt out forest. Taylor travels with Ukrainian gallery owners looking for the prototypical Western artist. Dane introduces Rail to his mother, Violet, a full blood Hewise, hoping for clues to Bert Neville and Arid Cut . Her ex-husband Bedford arrives and refuses to give his Indian name to a white man. Her daughter April broadcasts a blog on indian affairs as Dane and Rail are threatened by local militia types. The proposed geothermal plant is debated by ranchers and locals with divided political views. Rail finds an old map in an abandoned ranch and Mitra rejoins him. Is the mystery of Bert Neville about to be solved?
FAULTLINE: World Premiere, Mill Valley Film Festival, October, 2022.
