From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Rosanna Xia and Academy Award®-winning L.A. Times Studios, OUT OF PLAIN SIGHT is a cinematic exposé of an environmental disaster lurking just off the coast of Souther...
Directed by journalist Rosanna Xia and filmmaker Daniel Straub, “Out of Plain Sight” is one of the most chilling and vital environmental documentaries in recent memory, providing a cinematic wake-up call to the toxic legacy that continues to poison our oceans, our planet, and the animals and humans who inhabit it. What begins with a single corroded barrel of toxic material on the seafloor near Catalina Island unravels into a decades-spanning tale of neglect, secrecy, and ecological devastation.
The film follows Xia as she pieces together a horrifying “out of sight, out of mind” truth: at least half a million barrels of DDT waste were legally dumped off the Southern California coast in the post-WWII era. Yes, legally. The film makes clear that this wasn’t a hidden crime but was public knowledge at the time, filed away in reports and dismissed by a society that chose ignorance over accountability. Today, the devastating results are undeniable, including cancer clusters in wildlife, severe ecological damage, and links between the chemical and degenerative diseases in humans like dementia.
The environmental storytelling here is quite exceptional, and the documentary strives to make the invisible visible. With its brisk pacing and thoughtful interviews, the film turns abstract science into a visceral emotional experience. Barrel after rusted barrel appears like a graveyard beneath the waves, and Xia’s haunting narration, paired with startling underwater imagery, hits like a gut punch.
The film also shines as a celebration of investigative journalism and scientific persistence. Xia’s real-time investigation unfolds like a thriller, each revelation more staggering than the last. She is not just reporting a story, but she becomes part of it, making the act of journalism itself a central character. The documentary doesn’t just show findings, but shows the tireless effort it takes to find them, the ethical dilemmas along the way, and the human toll behind the statistics.
The reporting here is meticulous, the interviews with scientists and policy experts illuminating, and the casual, almost willful disregard for environmental consequence is nothing short of devastating. It’s infuriating to witness how regulations were ignored, or worse, deliberately avoided. You’ll also be angry with how today’s rollback of environmental protections echoes the same hubris that led us to dump chemicals into the sea in the first place.
In the end, the film serves as a call to action and a reminder that we have to stop history from repeating itself with today’s “forever chemicals.” DDT might be banned, but its toxic legacy is still very much alive in our oceans, our food chains, and our bodies.
“Out of Plain Sight” is a powerful, beautifully crafted, and deeply unsettling film. It is essential viewing for anyone who cares about the planet.
