One Road to Quartzsite

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One Road to Quartzsite

Released Dec 17, 2023

1h 29m

Documentary

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100%

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5 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Exit to Quartzsite for cheap gas, there's not a whole lot else. But every winter its population swells from 600 to over a million -- as an unlikely cross section of snowbirds, crustpunks and libertarians make their annual pilgrimage to live in this "giant parking lot." Some bought into the American Dream and lost everything; others dropped out long ago. Now they're all neighbors on the same piece of dirt -- all trying to live free and not die. ONE ROAD TO QUARTZSITE is an observational portrait of people trying to live outside of the constraints of American society, or to simply escape the winter.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A pleasing but slight documentary, shot in the cinema verité style.

Rated: B-

May 2, 2022

Full Review

Laura Potier

Outtake Mag

Theres something pleasantly intimate about the documentarys fuss-free approach to filmmaking.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 25, 2022

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

If you are interested in the lives of these modern nomads you should be entertained. I also loved all of the folk music played throughout.

Rated: 6/10

Apr 15, 2022

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...benefits substantially from its smattering of poignant, affecting sequences...

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 10, 2022

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Peter Martin

ScreenAnarchy

Suffused with a kind and gentle spirit, the film nonetheless stirs thoughts of hitting the road and never looking back.

Feb 28, 2022

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Kevin E

One Road to Quartzsite aims to document the hardscrabble lives of nomads and transients who converge in the Arizona desert, but its meandering approach often sabotages its own intentions. The film’s cinéma vérité style may have been chosen to evoke authenticity, yet the absence of narrative focus results in an experience that feels disjointed and, frankly, unwatchable for anyone seeking coherence or insight. Scenes follow one another with little connection, rendering most of the human stories repetitive or bewilderingly incomplete. The lack of commentary, interviews, or any guiding thread amplifies a sense of wandering not just among its subjects, but within the filmmaking itself. While there are moments of genuine humanity and a “pleasantly intimate” look at outcasts on society’s edge, the overall effect is numbing. Unless your interests align with immersive, observational portraits of fringe dwellers, most viewers will find the documentary exhausting and difficult to follow—its highlights drowned out by lengthy, incoherent sequences. For all its raw ambition, One Road to Quartzsite fails to transform fascinating material into a compelling viewing experience.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

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Mimi D

Please don’t waste your time on this movie. It was trying to be artsy but it wasn’t. It told me nothing about the place. It gave me no answers about anyone in the movie. It had no story. Don’t waste your time.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/14/25

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Colorado A

Poignant, heartwarming, sometimes hopeful and still, utterly depressing. The magic of the desert just doesn’t show up in pictures as it does in real life. But that’s somewhat of a blessing because real life in Quartzsite is kind of bleak. You get the sense that there are more regrets in Quartzsite than there are Trump signs and prescription bottles. If I was an investment advisor, I’d make all my clients watch “One Road To Quartzsite”.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

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Ryan Maxey

Director

Ryan Maxey

Producer

Josh Polon

Producer

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Synopsis

Exit to Quartzsite for cheap gas, there's not a whole lot else. But every winter its population swells from 600 to over a million -- as an unlikely cross section of snowbirds, crustpunks and libertarians make their annual pilgrimage to live in this "giant parking lot." Some bought into the American Dream and lost everything; others dropped out long ago. Now they're all neighbors on the same piece of dirt -- all trying to live free and not die. ONE ROAD TO QUARTZSITE is an observational portrait of people trying to live outside of the constraints of American society, or to simply escape the winter.

Director: Ryan Maxey
Producer: Ryan Maxey, Josh Polon
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Production Co: Watch This Ready, Point+Drop Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2023
Runtime: 1h 29m

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