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Inspired by her own experience of war, dislocation, and crosscultural negotiation, Lê excels at reverie-inducing landscapes affected by drastic cultural pressures. For her earlier photographic series "29 Palms," conceived during the buildup to the current war in Iraq, Lê photographed American soldiers during training exercises in a Southern California desert. Those photographs move between close-ups of the soldiers and distant shots revealing the harsh majesty of the natural terrain. Lê's new, two-part film is also called 29 Palms. On the left screen, close-ups of young soldiers being briefed reveal intent, fidgety individuals who will soon see actual combat. On the right screen, the view expands to encompass an immense landscape. The battalions on practice maneuvers seem antlike as they move across the vast desert. In this engrossing, reality-bending work, California convincingly plays the role of a distant battleground, training exercises stand in for actual war, and the entire scene suggests a Hollywood extravaganza.

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