7.1
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Desert Hearts (1985)
Desert Hearts (1985)
Overview
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Christianity: Negative
Viewer Rating
7.1
Overview
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Progressive
Primary
The film's central thesis explicitly promotes challenging traditional heteronormative structures and celebrates LGBTQ+ identity and sexual liberation, aligning it with progressive ideology.
The film features a predominantly white cast without explicit race or gender swaps of traditional roles. However, its central narrative strongly embraces and positively portrays a lesbian relationship, implicitly critiquing the restrictive traditional societal norms of its era.
Secondary
Desert Hearts offers a pioneering and affirming portrayal of a lesbian romance. It sensitively depicts Vivian's journey of self-discovery and her developing relationship with Cay, presenting their love with dignity and complexity. The film avoids negative stereotypes and ends on a hopeful note, validating queer identity and love.
The film implicitly critiques the restrictive societal norms of 1950s America, which were heavily influenced by conservative Christian morality regarding sexuality and marriage. It portrays these norms as oppressive to the authentic love between two women, positioning the audience to sympathize with the protagonists defying these conventions.
Desert Hearts is a seminal film in lesbian cinema, depicting a romance between two women in 1950s Reno. The narrative focuses exclusively on lesbian identity and relationships, and does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes within its plot.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film "Desert Hearts" is an adaptation of Jane Rule's novel "Desert of the Heart." All major characters in the film retain the same gender as established in the original source material, with no instances of canonical gender changes.
The film "Desert Hearts" is an adaptation of the 1964 novel "Desert of the Heart." An analysis of the main characters reveals no instances where a character's established race from the source material was changed for the film adaptation.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
7.1
7.0
Critic Ratings
7.7
6.7
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