‘Particular desert’: true loves

There is no doubt that the first commercial of ‘Desierto particular’ should be celebrated. Aly Muritiba’s film underwent a turbulent promotional campaign after being selected as a nominee by Brazil in the Best International Film category at the 94th Academy Awards. Despite this, it has not prevented critics and the public from being able to evaluate a feature film that invites a deep conversation about the truth behind a person’s attraction and what it really means to love another person, if it is possible to break with what is established beyond sex.

‘Private Desert’ with its title already makes a statement of intent, as it refers to the personal journey that one of its two protagonists, Daniel -played by the Franco-Brazilian Antonio Saboia-, is a policeman who was dismissed and suspended from work and salary after having a strong altercation with one of the students who was preparing to be an agent at the Police Academy where he worked as an instructor. . After that violent attack, which left the young man in a coma, Daniel decides to meet Sara in person, the mysterious female figure he came into contact with via a dating question. However, Sara is hiding a secret that will test the feeling of love that Daniel has begun to feel.

The premise could very well have led to an easy comedy, in the purest style “A Cage of Crickets,” Mike Nichols’ hit sitcom. And yes, it could have been a very worthy, wonderful and fun proposition that would have broken stereotypes, no one says no. However, Muritiba, who co-wrote the script with Henrique dos Santos, opts for the dramatic vein, to deepen the fragility of the male self and put in front of a mirror how men have been educated to love in a way that harms not only the person receiving that alleged love, but also the man himself who sees how his feelings are not managed as he was taught.

Deep discussion of feelings and toxic masculinity. But the film is not alone in this, but, as mentioned at the beginning of this text, it also explores how deep and complex the feeling of love can be. An interesting question arises: who do you fall in love with? About the person or the image you have of them? What happens when that image doesn’t match reality? These are questions that are difficult to answer, that the film knows how to ask and that invite a much deeper reflection that makes ‘Desierto particular’ a sublime drama that already takes the form of an essential element of LGBT themed cinema.

Feelings beyond social conventions

Although the script raises complex problems that materialize, that wouldn’t have been possible without it his main tandem: Antonio Saboia and Pedro Fasanaro. The first manages to create empathy towards a character who, a priori, would have caused the negative effect. The mental odyssey that Daniel lives hypnotizes and makes the audience feel the fragility of the male and wounded self and how it is possible to channel it from another perspective.

At his side is a charming Fasanaro, an unlabeled interpreter who, on the other hand, remembers that Brazil is one of the most conservative countries in South America and that, although pseudoconversion therapies are prohibited, the evangelical churches continue to do so. His role also shows how complicated it is to be LGBT in a hostile territory like the interior of Brazil, far from the anonymity offered by metropolises like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo.

With splendid interpretations, a plot that manages to carry out several complex approaches, ‘Private Desert’ is a blockbuster, one we like to see released on the big screen. A new reminder that Brazil continues to have the most powerful and diverse industry in South America. Film that explores the LGBT reality and the importance of the evolution of masculinity, through a story with charismatic protagonists who know how to create a bond with the public. Fascinating.

Note: 8

The best: The chemistry that Antonio Saboia and Pedro Fasanaro exude.

Worse: A commercial premiere in a dubbed version would also have been appreciated.