In ‘Out of Plain Sight,’ a toxic threat off California’s coast comes into view

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These long-lasting chemicals don’t break down; they simply transform. Unlike the saying about regrouping in hell, these compounds accumulate in our oceans, where they’ve been released for many years.

Rosanna Xia, an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, has spent years investigating the lasting effects of DDT, a once-common pesticide. DDT was even once considered as harmless as hairspray or water from garden hoses. In 2020, she revealed that toxic waste barrels containing DDT – originally dumped into the ocean decades ago by the manufacturer Montrose – were actually closer to the Southern California coast than anyone realized. Her continuing investigation is now the focus of a documentary called “Out of Plain Sight,” which she co-directed with Daniel Straub. (Note: The documentary was produced by L.A. Times Studios, which is affiliated with the Los Angeles Times.)

This fast-paced documentary follows Xia as she investigates the lasting effects of half a million barrels of DDT dumped off the coast. Though banned in 1972, the chemical continues to harm the delicate marine environment and the people whose ancestors were exposed. Xia’s work is inspired by Rachel Carson, author of the influential 1962 book “Silent Spring,” which sparked public concern about pesticides and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. The film features interviews with scientists and experts who help piece together the full story.

Rachel Carson famously warned of a loss of birdsong – a ‘silent spring’ – as a sign of environmental trouble. Today, the warning comes in the form of images captured by robots showing pollution on the ocean floor, like leaking barrels. This pollution enters the food chain, starting with marine life contaminated by chemicals like DDT. While microplastics are a current concern, the film argues we haven’t fully understood the long-term damage caused by past pollution. It’s one thing for a company like Montrose to have once thought they could get away with dumping massive amounts of chemical waste, but it’s another thing entirely if we ignore the environmental consequences we’re facing now.

“Out of Plain Sight” aims to be a visually engaging documentary, moving beyond typical interview formats. The film presents a concise history of DDT – from its initial promise to the subsequent protests – using a dynamic split-screen montage of archival footage, newsreels, and interviews, all set to the song “I Don’t Want to Know” by The Zombies. The interviews with Xia are filmed on location, in a realistic, observational style, showcasing fieldwork at places like UC San Diego labs, sea lion rescue centers treating cancerous animals, and microbiologist David Valentine’s efforts to gather samples from hazardous waste barrels.

While movies explaining journalism are welcome – and Xia is a likable reporter – the film is more compelling as a depiction of the determined, multi-faceted work to uncover, comprehend, and ultimately address a continuing danger. “Out of Plain Sight” doesn’t need to be groundbreaking cinema to tell this important, ongoing story about a hidden problem that affects us all. It echoes William Faulkner’s famous quote – fitting for the long-lasting effects of DDT, just as it is for the Marines: “The past is never dead—it’s not even past.”

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2025-11-22 01:31