Booming Business

February 17, 2016 8:53 PM

Scrapper, directed and produced by Stephan Wassmann, is a film about a group of survivalists, desperadoes, and range runners who risk their lives scavenging scrap metal from exploded and unexploded ordnance from the impact areas of the U.S. Navy and Marines Aerial Gunnery Range in the Chocolate Mountains of southeastern California.
posted by mattdidthat (18 comments total)

Bacigalupi's Shipbreaker writ small, as it were? America!
posted by mwhybark at 9:22 PM on February 17, 2016

apocalypse etc
posted by philip-random at 11:40 PM on February 17, 2016

I live by the Flint River...I'm doing the math.
posted by clavdivs at 11:44 PM on February 17, 2016

When I talk about how rugged and deeply weird parts of the Mojave desert are, this is generally the area and the kind of people I'm talking about.
posted by loquacious at 1:53 AM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

Cluster bombs are maybe the most terrifying thing I have ever seen on film
posted by thelonius at 5:38 AM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Gleaners...
posted by jim in austin at 6:13 AM on February 18, 2016

Scrap prices are through the floor now, so maybe they will find another way to fund their meth habits? District 9 theme park?
posted by asok at 6:45 AM on February 18, 2016

District 9 theme park?

Slab City has been there all along. Salvation Mountain proved to be more popular.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:20 AM on February 18, 2016

That all-black all-terrain hacked-up VW bug is straight out of post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction.
posted by MysticMCJ at 8:27 AM on February 18, 2016

Scrappers work the bombing range west of SLC, steal the solar panels that run things out there.
posted by Oyéah at 8:43 AM on February 18, 2016

This is really great, btw - and I wouldn't have seen it on my own. Thanks for posting this.
posted by MysticMCJ at 8:47 AM on February 18, 2016

Thank you for posting this. Getting a window into weird American subcultures e.g., scrappers, base jumpers, junkies, straight edge, dead heads, etc., is fascinating. But its pretty upsetting to watch the down-and-out characters in this film smoke meth.
posted by Dean358 at 9:47 AM on February 18, 2016

This is a fantastic documentary. An honest look into a world I had no idea existed. Thanks for posting.
posted by bstreep at 9:52 AM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

I ended up watching the whole thing! Really interesting, thanks.
posted by werkzeuger at 11:43 AM on February 18, 2016

I always enjoy a good documentary. Really enjoyed this one. Had no idea it existed, so thanks for doing that, matt.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 7:22 PM on February 18, 2016

Imagine the toxicity. On the other hand, freedom.
posted by thelonius at 5:52 AM on February 19, 2016

I am watching this now, and it is really good. The meth-addled tweakers are sad, I see people like them every day around here, too.

That all-black all-terrain hacked-up VW bug is straight out of post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction.

The clapped-out pickups are probably the more practical scrapper vehicles, but there is no denying that the VW has more style.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:18 AM on February 19, 2016

Welcome to America, watch out for the bombs.

Fascinating post, thanks.
posted by XMLicious at 6:38 AM on February 19, 2016