A film could not be more timely given the current election cycle than DESIERTO. Directed by Jonas Cuaron and co-written by Cuaron and Mateo Garcia, we are immediately thrust into the “no man’s land” of the harsh, sun-cracked desert of a border crossing as we meet a truckload of 14 Mexican immigrants heading for the United States. When the truck breaks down, the group is forced to walk the rest of the way with the coyote transporting them electing to trek through the “badlands” as opposed to a safer, but longer, route. One by one we get to know something about each of these people, but particularly Moises. He has been in the US before, leaving a wife and son behind on being deported back to Mexico. But he has promised his son he will return to him and intends to make good on that promise no matter how many attempts it takes him. As a constant reminder of his son’s love, Moises carries a talking teddy bear given to him by his son when he last saw him.
Because of Moises’ prior attempts at crossing, he knows the ins and outs of travel, and he knows the terrain. As everyone trudges onward in the unprotected open terrain with three digit temperatures and an unforgiving sun bearing down on them, suddenly shots ring out and the travelers start dropping like flies.
Invisible to the group is Sam. Obviously with military or para-military training, he is a one-man vigilante squad intent on keeping immigrants out of the United States. His one friend, his companion, is his dog Tracker. And Tracker is trained to do just that – track. But if Tracker catches you, you may find yourself begging for a bullet from Sam’s high-powered rifle guaranteeing a swift death as opposed to what Tracker will do. And one-by-one, Sam and Tracker pick off the pack, leaving Moises in a fight for survival against the desert, and Sam.
Compelling performances come from both Gael Garcia Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan with Morgan being the real stand-out here. Mesmerizing with such powerful emotional hatred which turns to emotional devastation so as to channel his mindset of hatred into one of revenge, Morgan dazzles. A role that could have been very one-note, thanks to Morgan, we understand the complexities of Sam, his mindset, and the one very redeeming trait that gives him some humanity – his dog.
In speaking exclusively with Morgan, “one note” is the very thing that he wanted to avoid. Describing Sam as “a sad character, a sad case study”, Morgan notes that “On the page, a character like this, and as brilliant as Jonas Cuaron is as a filmmaker . . .it came off very one note. This guy is a killing machine. . . I can’t do just a bad guy. I have to believe the character. If I’m gonna play him, I have to have some sort of story and someplace I can go to, and whatever his hatred is of these people crossing the border, what does that stem from. . .I don’t ever want to play a character that is completely one note. Trying to realize a character like that and bring it to life, had more challenges to it than I realized initially. . .I’m not looking to sympathize or empathize with Sam, just understand what he’s doing. There’s no justification for his actions.”
The emotional resonance, thanks to Morgan’s very demeanor and the physicality of the character, tacitly defines Sam. No dialogue or exposition is needed. Cuaron keenly places enough visual touchstones throughout the film to tell us who Sam is.
And he does the same with Bernal, although Moises has much more dialogue than Sam, providing more insight into the mindset of a father torn from his child, immigration as a whole, punctuated by vocal intonation. The fear, panic and frenetic battle to survive conveyed by Bernal is palpable and riveting.
As Sam doesn’t give respite to the immigrants, neither does Cuaron give the audience, as he creates a beautifully choreographed cat and mouse dance that hones in on Moises and Sam, mano-y-mano, creating an intensity that is both dynamic and chilling. Thanks to the work of cinematographer Damian Garcia and the decision by Garcia and Cuaron to use only available light and take advantage of the natural topography of the landscape, the camera bobs and weaves with hand-held intimacy while simultaneously catching one off guard thanks to wide angle lenses and deep focus. A well constructed film, DESIERTO is a visual stunner of sun, sand, starkness and shadow. Sparseness of backstory mirrors the sparseness of the desert and subconsciously forces our attention to the two men, and dog, at the forefront; pushing our collective and individual boundaries of thinking and understanding on the hot button issues at hand.
Standout is that but for a final sequence that involved falling many feet down from a mountain of rocks, Morgan and Bernal are doing their own stunts – climbing, hiking, running and, in Morgan’s case, shooting.
Directed by Joan Cuaron
Written by Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia
Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
