“Desert Hearts” by Donna Deitch (1985)

Movies directed by women

A year’s favorites

= First Feature =

The “fragile” acting adds an aura of sensitivity to the powerful characters
Excellent dialogues
As one personage says, “If one doesn’t play, one doesn’t win,” a phrase that defines the whole movie.

Cast: Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles
Produced and Directed by Donna Deitch
From A Screenplay by Natalie Cooper Based On A Novel by Jane Rule
Photographed by Robert Elswit
Edited by Robert Estrin