The Big White House

Over 20 years in the making, The Big White House documents director Chris Riel's youth as his family journey's from the destitute desert of Bakersfield to the lavish, affluent hills of Santa Barbara. Arriving when he was 8 years old, Chris had to adjust to the pressures of living in one of Southern California's richest cities while still dealing with the pain of his parent's divorce just a few years earlier. His humble beginnings attracted the attention of Montecito's upper-class youth who were dealing with broken homes of their own and the impossibly high standards of the Montecito community. In a 100 year old Victorian home with a bright red door that was never locked, daily swarms of children found sanctuary. With a growing group of friends and a camera in his hand any chance Chris had, we see this band of lost boys come of age in a wild ride of antics and stunts such as go-carting, mud sledding, bush jumping, and other extreme stunts; all juxtaposed by the clean upper-class neighborhood that values status and success above all else. Narrated by the character's older selves, the friends give an in-depth perspective of Montecito's high rate of suicide and drug-related incidents. This heartfelt, and at times, cautionary tale, shows how they avoided addiction and self-harm in their younger years as they leaned on one another to find their path into the real world together. They learn what it's like to lose the sanctuary they call home while also gaining a family of brothers forever. This documentary encapsulates the universal experiences of being a kid, growing up, and coming to terms with grief, loss, and divorce. Before its untimely end, the family that lived in the big white house instilled a set of values that focuses on love over material possessions.