A Desert sounds like a movie that would have been found on late night cable television. Alex (Kai Lennox, Green Room) is a photographer who is trying to recapture the success of his first photography book. He is traveling through a deserted part of the American west when he meets a couple at a hotel. This chance encounter sends the photographer, his wife and a private investigator into a dark and seedy world.
The pacing will end up determining how much a person enjoys the movie. A Desert moves painfully slow. This is a slow burn that carefully doles out its information. The problem is what should feel patent and methodical instead feels reckless and haphazard. It also points out the lack of any connective tissue in the plot.
The weak story is also highlighted through another frustrating decision. The film unfolds through different character perspectives meaning some scenes play out multiple times. While this Rashomon style of filmmaking is not unique, it is always difficult to pull off. It takes a stronger story than the one in A Desert to ensure there is not a feeling of repetition.
The most discouraging thing about it all is that there is actually a lot to like. While director Joshua Erkman has a tendency to rely on surrealism, A Desert does set a very clear tone. The barren setting and themes of overreliance on technology come through clearly. There is an emptiness that is simultaneously superficially beautiful and profoundly frightening. There are also some genuinely shocking moments that will jolt the audience.
Still, the whole thing becomes another modern example of style over substance. It is hard not to wonder if that is exactly what Erkman was aiming for. In a way A Desert mirrors today’s clout obsessed culture in which it does not matter what you say, but how loud you say it. And just like in the real world, it can be just as annoying.
A Desert comes to theaters May 2.
