El Mar La Mar

If you've lived in the city for an extended period of time you've learned to ignore the noise pollution. The only way you can hear it again is if you go someplace without buses, car alarms and stereos – someplace like the Sonoran Desert on the border separating the U.S. from Mexico. This vast stretch of mostly-unoccupied land has a soundtrack created only by the natural world. Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki's documentary El Mar La Mar treats you to an intimate trip to the region. Using interviews with frequent visitors juxtaposed with shots of open terrain and the possessions left behind by migrants, the directors reveal an almost-alien world. Lava spews from the ground, empty water bottles stud the desert floor and a man tells you about the huge monster that he's witnessed in the area – and all around you is the empty, wild land. The Webster Film Series presents El Mar La Mar at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday (July 13 to 15) at Webster University's Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; www.webster.edu/film-series). Tickets are $5 to $7.