Desert Hearts (R)

synopsis

Donna Deitch's swooning and sensual first film, Desert Hearts, wasgroundbreaking upon its 1986 release: a love story about two women,produced and directed by a woman. In the 1959-set film, an adaptationof a beloved novel by Jane Rule, straitlaced East Coast professorVivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives in Reno to file for divorce, butwinds up catching the eye of someone new, the younger free spirit Cay(Patricia Charbonneau), touching off a slow seduction that unfoldsagainst the breathtaking desert landscape. With smoldering chemistrybetween its two leads, an evocative jukebox soundtrack, and vividcinematography by Robert Elswit, Desert Hearts beautifully exudes asense of tender yearning and emotional candor.