Chinatown by Roman Polanski (1974, 131 min.). When Evelyn Mulwray suspects her husband—chief engineer for the LA Department of Water and Power—of having an affair, she hires private investigator JJ Gittes (Jack Nicholson) to spy on Mr. Mulwray. After Gittes photographs the man with a young girl and the scandal hits the newsstands, he is confronted by the real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway). When Mr. Mulwray is found dead, Gittes finds himself in the middle of a complex story involving the city’s water supply. The dark theme contradicts the idea California as carefree, portraying Los Angeles as politically and sexually corrupt.

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