Deserto Particular

"Private Desert" tells the story of an off-duty police officer under internal investigation about a case of bad behavior. His life is a complete mess, jobless, looking after a retired and sick father, plus he's in a cultural shock with his young sister. His only escape is online dating with a mysterious girl. Feeling completely under pressure from the development of his case, he decides to travel across the country to find the girl who he considers to be the only real tangible thing in his current life. In his search, he finds that life is made of many shapes and colors.

This film is about searching, discovering what we are, where we came from. No matter your race, your sex, your age, the color of your eyes or hair, we have to find ourselves within ourselves. We don't know what we really are until we face our reality. Also, that love is a feeling and not an object.

Beautiful and amazing performance by Antonio Saboia as Daniel and Pedro Fasanaro as Robson. Mr. Fasanaro shines and his innocent and angelical looks is the perfect balance to the harshness of Mr. Saboia (the police officer). It also reflects the contrast of northeastern and southern of Brazil.

There are some issues with the screenplay and continuity but overall Aly Muritiba was able to deliver a very human film.

"However, Daniel's turnabout feels sketchy and is insufficiently spelt out, Muritiba applies a tacky sex scene to vicariously bear out Robson's irreplaceability to Daniel, which overrides the blinkered male/female distinction, then, just when Robson feels dismally dejected, he can be lifted up to finally embark on a new journey from the dead-end status quo, and it is a relief that the pair's happy ending is not staying together but both find new courage and purpose from each other, to brave their kismet paved with impediments ahead, they might be reunited in the future, but at that particular moment, Muritiba is markedly astute to leave the story as where it is, a compelling, edifying story about sexual fluidity that hits like a bang to navel-gazers, but serves as a delectable dish to the queer cinema."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

The two hours of this film flew by without a second of boredom. The mundane life of Daniel, looking after Dad, shopping, seeing his sister, was fascinating as was the road trip and subsequent meeting with Robson.

Family dynamics were true to life and provoked real emotion in the case of both protagonists. I especially liked Robson's granny who transcended her beliefs for the sake of her ward.

It's hard to be particular about the film as I don't want to include spoilers. I have to say that I had guessed what the problem about meeting up was before it was revealed. And afterwards, the issue was dealt with realistically and sensitively.

The ending could not have been different and was perfect. Both leads had their own paths to tread but the events leading to the finale were a satisfying conclusion to the film that left a warm glow.

This is an absolute must for someone wanting to see a deeply moving romance.

The two main characters in this film give strong, nuanced performances.

This is a slow moving film. It grows on you and one needs to pay attention.

What I enjoyed in particular was that I never knew quite what was going to happen next. Each section of the film took one on a path that was slightly different from what had occurred before. One feels the turmoil inside each character.

The plot could easily have led to histrionics - even a bloodbath or a fistfight - but it doesn't. The ending just shows the slow path that each character is taking to find their fulfillment in life.

Suffice it to say that this is an LGBTQ film - but that is not all what it is about.

It would be quite wrong to classify this film as an LGBTQ+ movie. The film is, in fact, a story of broken love-a love story between two people searching for themselves. Both main characters are trying to find themselves somewhere between fantasy and reality. They are two people with different natures but the same desires. What impressed me most was the film's realistic approach, which is why I didn't see it merely as an LGBTQ+ film. The film doesn't intend to teach a lesson, nor does it dictate what is right or wrong. Instead of a didactic narrative, it allows the audience to discover truth and meaning on their own.

I found director Aly Muritiba's work highly successful. Muritiba co-wrote the script with Henrique Dos Santos, and the dialogues are remarkably well-crafted-natural, fluid, and genuine, rather than filled with clichés. The performances by Antonio Saboia and Pedro Fasanaro are also excellent, but Saboia, in particular, deserves special mention. In a crying scene, he transcends expectations and proves himself to be a truly remarkable actor.

Watching films like this makes me happy because making a great film isn't about big budgets or star-studded casts. A good film is the result of dedicated, thoughtful work. Private Desert, a love story set in a small Brazilian town, is proof of that. It's an outstanding film.