Though not without problems, DESERT HEARTS is a triumph for director Donna Deitch and an inspiration for any independent filmmaker. Determined to develop a feature film depicting a sexual relationship between two women--a topic never done justice in an American commercial release--Deitch
adapted Jane Rule's novel
Desert of the Heart. The story opens in Reno, Nevada, in 1959. Helen Shaver is Vivian Bell, a college professor from New York, staying in Reno temporarily to obtain a divorce. She stays at Frances Parker's (Audra Lindley) small ranch outside of town. Also living there is
Cay Rivvers (Patricia Charbonneau), an employee at one of the local casinos, wh...
Released:
1985
Rated:
R
Length:
96 mins