Watch Ask the Dust

Taking place during the Great Depression, Ask the Dust is a story of poetic magic. Based on the novel by John Fante, the protagonist Arturo Bandini is a young and financially stressed writer from Colorado. He finds his next journey in life by moving to Los Angeles. After successfully selling one of his stories, he desperately tries to write another, with hope of some creative aspiration in the city of Angeles. Down on his luck, with his last nickel in his pocket he buys a cup of coffee at a local diner. This is where he met Camilla, a beautiful young waitress, full of energy, with an aura of eccentricity in her personality. He is instantly attracted to her, despite the fact that she treats him horribly during their initial interaction. The initial hostilities soon flower into a relationship which is rocky at first, but with time, flourishes into something beautiful, as they slowly learn to trust one another. The films main focus is on the unique tension between Arturo and Camilla in their relationship. We see a frustrated novelist desperately trying to make it by becoming a famous writer, paired with a Mexican waitress who longs for status and acceptance in America. The two later move out of the city and support one another emotionally, allowing both of them to eventually reach their goals and aspirations. Ask the dust portrays to the audience what life during the 1930's in the United States must have been like through the eyes of two seemingly ordinary people. We get an in depth view of the two main characters, Arturo and Camella, and see how their lives deviate from their initial plans soon after they meet one another.