Desert Hearts (1985)

Just perfect...

Disturbing yet enthralling

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I think this is the best underrated lesbian film I've ever came across and it's still great for over 30 years like! Helen Shaver had such a beautiful voice and by god, she is so stunning! The same for Patricia Charbonneau, she really was sexy and provide such a great role as Cay Rivvers! You really wouldn't know she was pregnant like she hid the bump pretty well! She probably got married pretty young by the looks of her!In the film, I even loved Audra Lindley as Frances Parker who let Vivian stay at her place while she was going through the divorce. I honestly wish they didn't make her character into such a control freak because she doesn't look like the person who would shout at your face!This movie should really have deserved more awards because really, this movie has great tastes in music and of course, 80's love ;)

I've always heard about this movie, but never got around to seeing it until just a couple weeks ago. While watching it the first time, I wasn't impressed. I thought the cinematography was odd & some parts were hard to follow. I loved the music, but wished it didn't drown out what seemed to be important dialogue. Although I didn't really like it that much the first time, certain scenes & lines from the movie stuck with me. I watched again a few days later & LOVED IT. Since I knew the gist of what was going on I was able to follow along a lot better. Now, I don't think I could ever tire of watching it.I knew of this movie's reputation as a "classic" but I didn't realize it was released in 1986 until after I had watched it that first time. That fact floored me. I would've loved to been old enough back then to see it for the first time on screen. I'm sure it was extremely groundbreaking.Some may say the build up of the romance between Cay & Vivian was slow, but I thought it really worked. The attraction between the two was immediate. Cay obviously had a crush, & Vivian was intrigued. This was apparent when Vivian jumped at the chance to deliver Cay's mail. The whole love story was built around lingering glances, shy smiles, & building sexual tension.Patricia Charbonneau & Helen Shaver deliver wonderful & believable performances. The chemistry between the two is undeniable. I'm honestly surprised that those two did not have more prosperous acting careers, especially Ms Charbonneau. Her sultry & smokey performance of Cay was spot on. Had I seen this movie when I was younger I would've been lusting hardcore over her character.I would've given this 10 stars if the music hadn't drowned out dialogue & some lines would've been more articulate. Helen has an amazing & unique voice, but sometimes she would drop her sentences. Also, Andra Akers seemed to talk fast & drop her sentences, as well (in the bathtub w/ Cay, for example). A perfect example of the music drowning out the dialogue is when Cay & Vivian are naked together in the windowsill after the after-dinner fight. Cay says "You'll never need me as much as I need you" & we can't hear Vivian's response. This may be intentional by the director, but it drives me crazy, nonetheless.All in all, this movie definitely needs to be in every lesbian's video library. Even though it's a movie from 1986 set in the 1950s the story is absolutely timeless.

A sensitive drama based on a Jane Rule novel. Professor Vivian Bell(Helen Shaver)travels from New York to Reno, Nevada to get a divorce. It is 1959 and strong independent thinking women are an oddity. Frances Parker(Audra Lindley)puts Vivian up at a guest ranch, so she can meet her residency requirement for her divorce. The quiet reserved professor meets and falls in love with a young, openly lesbian woman, Cay(Patricia Charbonneau), ten years her junior.Character development is effortless and the explicit love scenes are tender, yet hot. There is a very good soundtrack that is marred by quick and frequent fade-outs. Great music from: Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Gene Vincent, Webb Pierce, Johnnie Ray and Elvis Presley.Rounding out the cast are Andra Akers, Alex McArthur, Gwen Welles and Dean Butler. Profanity and the lesbian love scenes garner an R rating. DESERT HEARTS makes Charbonneau a star.

It was a really beautiful movie. The director really captures the beauty of 2 women and 2 women finding true love in 1950's in the least expected situation. As you watched the film, your emotions just followed the main characters'. It is a very touching, tender, romantic movie. This is my favorite movie. I have been watching it many times since I got it.Thumbs up for Patricia Charbonneau for her stunning performance esp. this was her first performance on films. She played this young, dark haired, beautiful, free spirited, and passionate woman, Cay, who compelled Helen Shaver to look into her heart and finally allowed herself to admit her feelings for Cay. Patricia is really HOT in this movie. Her beautiful smile, her sparkling eyes, her sexy voice, and every move of hers is really attractive and charming. How can anyone not fall for her? I wonder why she didn't become a star after this movie?! She is absolutely Gorgeous and she can really act. It is a shame that she didn't get enough recognitions for her talents as she deserves in the film industry. Helen Shaver did an excellent job as well. She played a repressed English professor, Vivian, who went to Reno for a quick divorce. After closing herself up for years, meeting and knowing Cay finally forced her to face her true emotions and admitted her feelings for Cay. These 2 characters' personalities are really opposite of each other. One enjoys order and the other is free spirited but somehow they are able to find true love with each other. This movie described really well how Helen Shaver struggled with her own feelings and the society's expectations, and the hardship the society and Cay's family gave to the same sex couple. Yet, Cay is very courageous, facing her true feelings, and chasing after who she wants, Vivian. Although there was no clear ending for these 2 women, it is still hopeful since Patricia got on the train with Helen. One can only hope for the best for these 2 women and May they live happily ever after. The scenery views are quite beautiful. The mountain, the lake views and horses running are extra plus. The other characters are quite good such as Frances Parker, Cay's step mother. The love scene between these 2 is amazing. You can feel these 2 women's desires for each other. Vivian is initially repressed but once she follows her heart, you can feel these 2 women are truly in love and enjoy being intimate with each other. There is Great chemistry between Patricia and Helen, which makes this movie very real. The glances they exchanged with each other, the way they look at each other, and the way they talk to each other are very convincing that they are in love with each other. I love to watch the scenes between them over and over. I think they build up a strong foundation with each other, which then leads to a very believable, amazing, and erotic love making at the end. The director, Donna Deitch, did an outstanding job. The script is nicely written. The display of emotions is appropriate in 1950's. There are wonderful background musics. Donna Deitch is really successful bringing out the outstanding performance of these 2 lead actresses. It is not easy to direct a film such as this one in 1980's and she had to raise the fund for this movie herself. Overall, it is an excellent movie, something you can watch over and over. Highly recommended.