Vineland is a short experimental documentary that captures the last drive-in movie theater in Los Angeles. The theater is located in a desolate area called the City of Industry, surrounded by smokestacks, beacon towers, and passing trains.
The film features dislocated Hollywood images that are filled with apocalyptic angst, re-framed and reflected through car windows and mirrors. The displacement of the radio broadcast soundtrack collides with the projections upon and surrounding the multiple screens, creating a surreal environment.
The nocturnal landscape of Vineland is seen as a border zone aglow with dreamlike illusions revealing overlapping realities at the intersection of nostalgia and alienation. As the film progresses, the audience is transported to a place where time seems to stand still, and memories of the past intersect with the present.
The documentary captures the emotions of the drive-in movie theater's patrons who often come to the theater with their families, friends, and loved ones. The film also highlights the significance of drive-in theaters in American culture and how they have been a part of the collective memory of generations past. Vineland is a thought-provoking documentary that explores the intersection of nostalgia, alienation, and the longing for human connection in the modern age.