The short film, ‘LOWER DREAM STATE’, elevates the voices of Baja Californians by revealing the complex social and ecological questions they face. It takes viewers on the ground, in the air, and over the sea, directly embedding them into the fragile desert region. The film raises questions regarding some of the most vital resource extraction industries: salt, copper, and produce. These ordinary resources represent some of the basic building blocks of modern civilization and part of daily global resource flows. The Baja peninsula represents a case study of how people inhabit regions that offer so much to the world, yet receive so little back. Advancements in architecture and urban planning, applied in concert with local knowledge, might offer a way forward that empowers both social and ecological systems.