Year:
1985
Studio:
Desert Hearts Production
Feature:
3/5
DVD:
4/5
Desert Hearts is a
movie based on the book Desert of the Heart. It's a story set in 1950's
Reno, Nevada. Vivian (Helen Shaver) is an older woman, a professor from
the east here in Nevada in order to divorce her huaband (apparently
Nevada was the place to be to get divorced).
While waiting for the paperwork to go through, Vivian is staying with
Frances (Audra Lindley) at her ranch where she lets out rooms. At the
ranch Vivian meets France's ward, the independent-minded Cay (Patricia
Charbonneau).
Cay is mostly a lesbian and doesn't care if people know. She is
immediately infatuated with Vivian, who seems to be a woman who knows
what she wants and then does it. Cay is going through a part of her
life where she doesn't know what she really wants to do.
Vivian, although heterosexual up to this point, is also attracted to
Cay and her carefree ways and vibrancy of life. Eventually they do get
together in a rather erotic love scene. But the relationship is
probably not to be as Vivian has to return to her job and Cay doesn't
really want to leave Nevada.
So the movie ends on a bit of a sad note but not too sad, as both women
have learned things from each other.
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I thought this was an ok movie. It
moves slowly and being an independent film it's very low key. At 96
minutes it's on the shorter side of an average length for a movie and I
think another 15 minutes of character development would have helped.
Overall I'm not sure if I'de recommend this movie. You'd have to like
period pieces and realistic lesbian relationships. But I can recognize
that it's a good movie for the intended audience.
Extras
Director Donna Deitch provides an excellent commentary track. She talks
about what drew her to the book and how she got the movie rights. Why
she decided to go independent and how she raised money. How she found
the actors and how the shooting went. It's a very informative
commentary -- what you would find in a good making of book.
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