TMS Movie Review: Running Out of Time

(via bringbackourbeaches.com)

If you live in southern California or are visiting this summer, you might have noticed it’s taking a while to get warm and sunny to ask the eternal question: “Beach or pool?” For the last few years, May Gray and June Gloom have lingered a lot longer than usual in our area, but fortunately we’ve managed to get decent sun exposure by July. If you’re a longterm resident in South Orange County, you already know the answer to “beach or pool” might be the latter for a lot of people, since the former isn’t going to be available this season for some locations. Since roughly 2019, a number of local beaches, specifically in my hometown of San Clemente, CA, have been washed up from sand erosion and the tide has not gone down for the public to enjoy sun bathing, swimming, surfing, boogie-boarding and the like properly. Even just looking at the view from afar has been affected, with mostly ocean water now replacing a nice, sandy spot with locals and visitors lounging about.

Sam George’s new short documentary, Running Out of Time, puts the spotlight on how the growing erosion issue is specifically hurting San Clemente. Our town was built on being a beach community, with many people moving to the location just for the experience. I spent most of my childhood not only in SC, but living in one of the neighborhoods right next to the water. When I visit my parents’ house now, it’s so bizarre to not hear kids having fun or surfers shouting at each other while enjoying the waves. It’s even eerie to be met with silence as the regularly scheduled train that rides next to the neighborhood is sporadically missing now.

(Jonathan George)

You can find much of OC and Cali history in SC, including the historic estate Casa Romantica, which was briefly closed this past May because of recent landslides during rainy weather. George’s feature starts with some background on the impact and popularity of the beach in SC, as well as comparing how different the geography’s changed in the past 30 years using footage and photos. From the mid-1980s to 2010, there were regular flows of high tide and low tide. In the doc, Prof. Brett Sanders estimates the change debuted in 2015, when SoCal had a strong ‘El Niño’ type season, and the larger than usual waves sank the sand under.

Surfer and longtime San Clemente local Greg Long narrates Running Out of Time, while Sanders, journalist Laylan Connelly and SC mayor Chris Duncan share their findings, thoughts and goals for the future of the beaches. Jacob Vanderwork and Nate Klein provide some impressive HD cinematography of the water and nearby land areas. George and co. argue it’s time to move beyond theories and research, and actually take action before it is too late; suggesting we have the resources and technology currently to reverse the damage nature has done to the sand. The commentators have some pretty convincing arguments, and the visual comparisons exposed throughout are unnerving. As a viewer, the pacing and editing of Running Out of Time reminded me a bit too much of a student film, though the 10 minute doc has quality production values. But as a SC native, the message is important. If you’re a part of southern California—especially South OC—visit the website www.bringbackourbeaches.com to watch Running Out of Time and learn more about the cause and support to reverse San Clemente’s sand erosion problem.