Catching Dust

This film was a 2024 sleeper. Really taut psychological thriller with incredible performances (especially Moriarty and Courtney) and impeccable filmmaking.

Stuart Gatt is one to watch - is such an accomplished debut. The visual choices, camera movements and the performances he's extracted from actors I'm not usually fans of is really impressive.

The cinematography was stunning too. It seemed obviously shot on 35mm and I researched to confirm it. It felt like a 90s film in many ways.

May present as a cliched western thriller but is far from it, is intelligent and nuanced.

A felt the film's tension suffered in certain moments otherwise would've given a 10.

Could have been masterful, suspenseful and taut .Seems all that was left on the cutting room floor. An implausible situation , made more implausible by production design that forgot to add the dust . Some strong acting that was trying hard to push the film along , which felt like hard work . The whole vibe came across that it wasn't a happy experience for those working on set.

The outlaw couple felt real , owned the script and well cast. The new arrivals dull, lacking in energy, and credibility with a wardrobe to match.

Watched through till the end in hope that the promise if what could have been would happen .. nearly but not quite.

Incredibly powerful writing, masterful cinematography and an incredible cast. In particular, Erin's characterisation was flawless. I had the pleasure of watching this in theatres, the employment of 35mm I felt added another level of artistry. Every shot, a considered piece of art in itself. The desert (not just the setting) felt like an additional cast member, personified almost, adding to the mood. I loved that there were no cliche's for this type of film, leaving the western/desert tropes in the past, especially with the score.

Would love to know what happened with the tortoise though? Can we get a tortoise spin off? Haha

For a debut feature from Stuart Gatt, I take my hat off to you. Really looking forward to discovering what his next project will be.

I don't know why people are so disappointed with this one. Compared to other movies that came out that year, it is amazing. It kept my attention throughout. I didn't even go for a toilet break...and I generally rarely ever watch drama. Amazing cast and great acting. As someone who mostly watches adventure, sci-fi and action, it was a refreshing movie. I understand that new generations of viewers constantly seek thrills and action, but sometimes it doesn't have to be the case. Sometimes, we can just immerse ourselves in someone else's story and try to understand the struggles of simple people. It doesn't always have to be blood, gore and thrills. Sometimes movie can be realistic. 10/10 for me.

There is only 1 real reason to watch this and it's Erin Moriarty's performance. Jai Courtney is also very good as a Texan living off the land in a trailer with Erin playing his wife but the movie falters in that it deals with 4 characters who are largely stereotypes. The NY city couple who show up aren't given much depth, especially the character of the husband who just seems to be there to play the bad guy. Not much happens in the movie, don't expect any action , but while it was moving along OK, as it nears the end it just falls apart. Characters start behaving in a way that makes no sense, and the movie ends in a way that only happens in movies. With excellent actors here, this needed a more realistic plot, needed more drama, needed more depth. Not boring, but not worth a second watch.