Private Desert

2021 [PORTUGUESE]

Action / Drama

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 87%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 61%
IMDb Rating 7.2 10 1244

Plot summary



November 25, 2022 at 08:10 PM

Director

Aly Muritiba

Top cast

720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.09 GB
1280*690
Portuguese 2.0
NR
24 fps
2 hr 1 min
P/S ...
2.23 GB
1920*1036
Portuguese 5.1
NR
24 fps
2 hr 1 min
P/S ...
1.08 GB
1280*682
Portuguese 2.0
NR
24 fps
1 hr 59 min
P/S 21 / 14
2 GB
1920*1024
Portuguese 2.0
NR
24 fps
1 hr 59 min
P/S 15 / 26

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by doalvarez2002 8 / 10

Falling in love is an unpredictable business

Daniel, a police agent on suspension from work for assaulting a colleague, has fallen in love through an app with someone who lives thousands of miles away from him, bang in the middle of nowhere in Brazil.

After his text messages and phone calls unexpectedly go answered, he opts to hit the road and drive some 2,700 kilometres northwards from Curitiba, where he tirelessly looks after his senile old father, to Sobradinho where his new platonic love lives.

When Daniel finally makes it to his destination, he is in for a big surprise that he wasn't in the least bargaining for when he embarked on this make-or-break trip into the platonic unknown.

It is a two-hour film, every second of which I really with easily charismatic Daniel, and much more so because I did not know what this film was about, and to my pleasant surprise it didn't put me to sleep despite the beginning being a bit slow. You soon begin to take pity on Daniel because he is fully devoted to the care of his mentally disabled dad while he awaits trial for his misconduct at his workplace. To make his existence more miserable than it already is, the girl he has met online and imbues him with the energy to soldier on is no longer replying to his text messages or taking his phone calls, all of which makes you feel sympathy for good-hearted Daniel.

If you don't have a good command of the language, I recommend you watch Brazilian films in Portuguese with the aid of subtitles in a language that you speak. The beauty of these foreign films resides in the language that they are made in, and Portuguese is one of those languages that is quite pleasing to the ear, and much more so when you you are able to understand it and speak it. I really liked the dialogues that Daniel had with his lover towards the end of the film, especially the way his lover uttered words in a northern Brazilian accent.

I would have expected the end to be slightly different chiefly because the culmination and display of their pent-up emotions only lasted a mere 3 to 4 minutes. I wanted a bit more which would have been like the icing on the sweet and sour cake that the director throws at the viewer right at the end.

Reviewed by lasttimeisaw 7 / 10

Cinema Omnivore - Private Desert (2021) 7.4/10

"However, Daniel's turnabout feels sketchy and is insufficiently spelt out, Muritiba applies a tacky sex scene to vicariously bear out Robson's irreplaceability to Daniel, which overrides the blinkered male/female distinction, then, just when Robson feels dismally dejected, he can be lifted up to finally embark on a new journey from the dead-end status quo, and it is a relief that the pair's happy ending is not staying together but both find new courage and purpose from each other, to brave their kismet paved with impediments ahead, they might be reunited in the future, but at that particular moment, Muritiba is markedly astute to leave the story as where it is, a compelling, edifying story about sexual fluidity that hits like a bang to navel-gazers, but serves as a delectable dish to the queer cinema."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

Reviewed by laduqesa 8 / 10

A real tour de force

The two hours of this film flew by without a second of boredom. The mundane life of Daniel, looking after Dad, shopping, seeing his sister, was fascinating as was the road trip and subsequent meeting with Robson.

Family dynamics were true to life and provoked real emotion in the case of both protagonists. I especially liked Robson's granny who transcended her beliefs for the sake of her ward.

It's hard to be particular about the film as I don't want to include spoilers. I have to say that I had guessed what the problem about meeting up was before it was revealed. And afterwards, the issue was dealt with realistically and sensitively.

The ending could not have been different and was perfect. Both leads had their own paths to tread but the events leading to the finale were a satisfying conclusion to the film that left a warm glow.

This is an absolute must for someone wanting to see a deeply moving romance.

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