Reel Review: A Desert (2024)

In the mesmerizing “A Desert”, the search for lost beauty becomes a dark descent through the literal and metaphorical wilderness.

Two decades after its premiere, I am finally discovering for myself what made the mesmerizing show Lost such a cultural phenomenon in the early 2000s. I’ve become obsessed with the clever and profound way the show plays with the idea of being lost, both literally and metaphorically.

A Desert is a stunning, devastating exploration of that duality.

It follows a protagonist searching for his way. A formerly renowned photographer, Alex Clark (Kai Lennox) is trying to rekindle the passion and spark he used to have for his work, and hopefully a bit of the decades-old notoriety as well.

Money is tight, work is scarce, and he’s feeling the strain of disappointing his patient but put-upon wife, Samantha (Sarah Lind).

He embarks on a desert road trip with his antiquated equipment, a large format 8×10 studio camera, to capture the heart and soul of Lost America — buildings and places discarded and forgotten by time.

He hits the road without a GPS or phone, intending to get “purposely lost”.

While staying at a seedy motel one night, he hears a loud disturbance from the room next door, which sounds like a young couple having a violent row. This alarms him enough that he calls down to the front desk to file a report, sending the clerk to scold the rowdy guests.

Afterward, the wiry and menacing Renny shows up in his dirty wife-beater at Alex’s door to apologize for his high-strung “sister”, Susie Q (Ashley B. Smith). Spotting the camera in the room, Renny somehow convinces Alex—desperate not to offend—to invite them in for a private photo session.

Renny’s appearance suggests rough living and shifty intentions, while the barely clad, heavily made-up Susie moves with calculating allure like a predator sizing up her prey.

The two continue their manipulation by convincing Alex to partake in their toxic-smelling homemade brew to loosen everyone up. It works a little too well, as Alex awakens the next morning with a splitting headache and no memory of the night’s debaucherous events.

Guilt-ridden, he asks Renny to fill in the gaps in his memory. After reassuring him that nothing untoward happened (a lie), Renny offers to take him deeper into the desert and show him some locations no photographer has ever seen. It’s a dangerous enticement Alex can’t resist.

If bad decisions were steps, Alex would be marching headfirst into the quicksand.

At this point, the film switches gears and recenters its focus on the distraught Sam.

After nightly calls to recount his adventures, it’s been a week since she’s heard from Alex. Getting no help from the police, she hires a private investigator named Harold (The Jesus Lizard vocalist David Yow).

It turns out, the cynical Harold is a former cop who fell from grace for undisclosed reasons, and he suspects Alex, too, has skeletons in his closet.

As we hasten to an explosive finale, Harold and Sam find themselves deeply embroiled in the mystery surrounding Alex’s disappearance and the sinister secrets that lurk in the desert like a coiled snake ready to strike.

A DESERT, Joshua Arkman’s masterful directorial debut, dissects the chasm between voyeuristic tourist and captive within an alien landscape.

With a narrative that twists and turns in unexpected ways, this dark descent is anchored by strong performances from the ensemble cast. In a film about a photographer seeking beauty in decay, the gorgeous cinematography doesn’t just serve the story; it’s an essential voice, echoing the haunting allure of a world in decline.

Ty Segall’s score fuels the film’s palpable tension, creating a creeping undercurrent that heightens every harrowing turn.

Through the reflective power of art and cinema, the film’s bleak landscape reveals a chilling truth: emptiness, whether in abandoned spaces or the human heart, cultivates its own unique malignancy.

This Lynchian neo-noir horror film is both enigmatic and slow-burning, which will immediately turn off some viewers.

Yet, for those who prefer an off-road, scenic adventure to a straight shot on a predictable highway, this is an evocative ride worth taking.