Real Estate Fiction, a two-part short film series that compiles clips from movies that deal with issues of gentrification and land-grabbing, isn't the magnum opus of Los Angeles Plays Itself, but it's infused with the same analysis-as-entertainment spirit. Part one of the 20-minute short features clips from Batteries Not Included, Boyz'n'The Hood, Do The Right Thing, Le mani sulla citta, and numerous other films from around the world, interspersed with brief critical dialogue at the beginning of each chapter heading. 

Divided by chapters with titles including "Conspiracy Over the Urban Scene," the film artfully investigates the tensions between city dwellers and the pressures of (usually greedy) developers and speculators. It's entertaining primarily because it explores realities that so often make for exceptionally dry academic reading. The concise commentary touches on the complexities of urban development, speculation, and repurposing without offering the depth and nuance of a full-fledged lecture, allowing the films to speak in its stead.

The film ultimately notes that "We might be able to appreciate fiction cinema for its non-fictional disclosure, and provide new reverberations and meanings to this appealing narrative order."