To those who have seen this....
Who do not live in the Hum...
What did it make you think about Humboldt County in general? Is there anything specific that worried you or interested you?
I think it was stunningly beautiful. You know, living in the midwest (all be it the Chicago area) we tend to think California=LA/Hollywood and big crowded cities with tons of traffic and a sea of smog. (Sort of like here) I don't think many people outside of the area realize what Northern California is like, how picturesque it is. I found this moving brilliant and moving, funny and devastating. This is probably the first movie since American Beauty that made me just sit silently in reaction to something. (Spoiler Max)
Thats a great feeling, and one often lost in todays big scale movies with monster stars and huge budgets, CGI and all that jazz. The setting of this movie was as important to the story as the characters. Personally I want to go and live with Jack and Rosie forever; not so much because of the pot (no complaints tho lol) but the quality of that type of life. Like in Jacks talk to Peter as the walked, a life with out greed and.. just so simplistic and nature bound. To me that seems perfect.
No concerns, no worries here Psycmoe, if it is half as peaceful as the movie portrays I am on my way, all I need is to learn how to build a house in the woods!
The Hum?
Do you live in Humboldt County? I lived in Arcata for several years, and never heard it called "The Hum."
Haven't seen the movie yet (I'm now in MA) but I can't wait. A lot of Humboldt is rather disturbing - the drug culture is pretty dark, one of the highest murder rates in CA. It's also a pretty amazing and progressive place. If it's shown as a friendly place full of happy people it probably wasn't shot anywhere around Eureka or Garberville.
I lived in Arcata for 4 years, and I visit at least once a year. Yes, there is a drug culture there--but that is not everything about Humboldt, and you are not obligated to be pro-drug-culture to live there. And, yes, it's possible to live there without ever sampling those special agricultural products.
I never heard it called "The Hum" before, but I have heard it called part of "The Emerald Triangle" or "Behind the Redwood Curtain."
You don't have to do drugs to enjoy the area. It is a small town, and it is not the murder capital of California. The most current statistics for the area are from 2003, and there was only 1 murder listed over a multitude of towns in the area.
One correction to the description someone posted--Humboldt County is not the northern tip of California. Del Norte County is. However, they're both beautiful.
Drug culture dark? Sure Eureka has quite a bit of tweakers but for the most part people just stick to beer and marijuana. Arcata college kids usually stick to those and some mushrooms and ecstasy. It really isn't different than most of America (except for the marijuana).
Highest murder rates in California? Are you kidding me. There is one or two murders a year in the whole county!
The unemployment rate is pretty high though.
What, the "official" unemployment rate, which only accounts for people who had legal jobs recently and are currently looking for legal jobs. IOW, growers and trimmers are neither employed or unemployed.
That's not necessarily true about the murders, we've had several so far this year.
And people don't just stick to beer and MJ, I know this as there was a man who lived down the street from me who was busted for selling heroine and marijuana about a year and a half ago. I'd like to quote a friend of mine when I say, "Small towns do have drug problems too, they're just better at ignoring it."
It is beautiful up here, no lie, but I'd also like to point out if you're used to going to concerts by your favorite bands all the time or used to the fast paced life style, I wouldn't recommend relocating to here. It's sleepy and, yeah, there aren't many jobs. Also most of the towns shut down around 8 at the lastest.
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That's a great warning Vindictive. I personally love the slow, sleepy, casual way that most of Hum functions in, but I've heard many complaints from move-ins (generally short term students) about how slow it is.
Also, if you don't like the rain, you ought not be here.
You can see a sign at some point in the movie that places the main location somewhere between Redway and the Cove, off the main drag. Certainly my version of peaceful.
Yes, I live in Humboldt, smack dab in Eureka. The drug culture can be 'dark', but then we'd be talking about tweakers, wouldn't we? Ma & Pa grows can be weird and full of redneck-y-ness, but I wouldn't classify them as dark.
I disagree that we have one of the highest murder rates (per capita, I presume) in CA. Property damage, however.....