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      Desert Hearts

      R 1985 1h 36m Romance List
      90% 30 Reviews Tomatometer 77% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score A New York professor (Helen Shaver) divorces her husband and has an affair with another woman (Patricia Charbonneau) in 1959 Reno. Read More Read Less

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      Desert Hearts

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      Critics Reviews

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      Andrea Thompson Chicago Reader The film surrounds its central pairing with relationships of various complexities that rebuke the clean-cut image of the decade. Jun 20, 2023 Full Review Heather Hogan Autostraddle It was the tenderness of Desert Hearts that got me, the hope, and the idea that a woman didn't need to have it all nailed down by the time she hit 30, that a woman could give in to what she wanted and just figure it out as she went along Oct 30, 2020 Full Review Nigel Andrews Financial Times The nearly-all-female cast is excellent, the sense of place is strong. May 13, 2020 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Produced on a tiny budget, it is sustained by strong performances and a powerful chemistry between the actresses, and it is the rare same-sex love story of the era that embraces the possibility of a happy ending. Mar 4, 2023 Full Review Sarah Schulman Gay Community News (Boston) It's a corny love story with very little tension. Aug 11, 2022 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row In Deitch's steady hands, the film avoids male gaze tropes to create something uncommonly tender and real, a tale of awakening and self discovery that is nearly impossible to shake. Jun 16, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (116) audience reviews
      Debra B Loved it. Haven't seen this movie since the 80s and it really holds up. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/29/23 Full Review PridePosterStudios Let’s clear something up: calling Desert Hearts the lesbian Brokeback Mountain is an INSULT to this beautiful film. Thank you. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/26/24 Full Review Paul G You have to have lived in the fifties to fully aquatint to the prejudices . The actors are excellent and recreate the era vividly . Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/09/23 Full Review c j It is crisp and beautiful to watch! The romance and sex scenes are so well shot! I loved how Prof. Bell's character does a complete 180 during the course of the story and the entertaining contrast Cay's character provides throughout. It is also (almost) educational in terms of historical attitudes towards gay woman in not so distant past! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The cinematography and production quality alone make this film fantastic, and the subtle silence of it all spoke everything that words can't. Not every character has to be eloquent or every story told with never ending exposition, especially when it comes to female narratives. Our perspective is best told through dynamics and subtext and body language. This film mastered that and is why it remains a classic today. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review john m I was kind of waiting for this to slowly creep up on me emotionally but it didn't quite get there. That being said, there are some very nice scenes and the pacing is great. I'm not sure how much I got out of it and maybe it's because by this time in 2020, we have so many amazing LGBTQ romances that overshadow this. In 1985, this was probably a one of a kind though which I can definitely appreciate. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Desert Hearts

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A New York professor (Helen Shaver) divorces her husband and has an affair with another woman (Patricia Charbonneau) in 1959 Reno.
      Director
      Donna Deitch
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Romance
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 16, 2017
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $2.5M
      Runtime
      1h 36m
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