Directed by James Takata (2026), California Scenario unfolds within Landscape Architect and designer Isamu Noguchi’s iconic “California Scenario” sculpture garden in Costa Mesa. The film explores intergenerational trauma, survival, and how designed spaces hold and transform the people who move through them.

Single parents Jacob Hara and Laura Acker, descendants of concentration camp survivors on two continents, live parallel lives grappling with the legacy of their intergenerational traumas. When their children each reach a crisis point, they take them to Noguchi’s 1.6-acre installation — a space the incarceration camp survivor built as a timeless place for gathering and reckoning. 

The choice to center this particular sculpture garden is deeply symbolic. Noguchi, who survived the Poston internment camp, designed the installation to bring together California’s varied landscapes into one shared space. This is the only film ever granted permission to film at Isamu Noguchi's California Scenario sculpture garden in Costa Mesa.

The film reflects how our experiences stay with us, shaping who we are. By moving through rock, water, and shade, visitors encounter a sense of balance and connection. Co-writers Takata and Resnik use the setting to suggest that healing begins with creating space for reflection and accepting both what we can and cannot control.

Please note this film contains depictions of self harm and other mental illness. Viewer discretion is advised.