The Brazilian production tells the story of Sarah and Daniel. Sara is a worker who lives with her birth male identity, Robson, during the day and her female identity, Sara, at night while caring for her religious grandmother in Sobradinho, a small town in northeastern Brazil. Daniel, who is an instructor at the police academy in the southern city of Curitiba, has been suspended without pay after a violent incident that is all over the news. The only thing holding him together is his online connection to Sara, whom he has never met in person.
“When Sarah suddenly disappears, Daniel travels two thousand miles across Brazil to look for her. He posts her photo all over town, but no one recognizes her, until he receives a mysterious phone call from someone who claims to know her and asks to meet. What follows is an emotional journey that will change Sarah and Daniel forever,” according to the “Desierto private” synopsis.
The film, which was selected by Brazil as its official representative in the Best International Film competition for the last edition of the Oscars, was the winner of the Audience Award at the Venice International Film Festival. It has also appeared in other international festivals such as São Paulo, San Francisco and OUTShine.
The Special Desert features the performance of Antonio Saboia (as Daniel) and non-binary actor Pedro Fasanaro (as Sara). The cast also includes Thomas Aquino, Laila Garin, Zezita De Matos, Sandro War, Luther De Almeida, Otavio Linhares and Cynthia Senek.
The film is directed by Brazilian director Aly Muritiba, who also wrote the script together with Henrique dos Santos.
“Desierto particular” traverses the regional, cultural and political landscapes of Brazil to present a story of love, desire and resistance. The film aims to be a statement of queer love and humanity at a time when LGBTQ+ rights are at risk in every country in the world. Brazil does not escape this reality, as this Latin American country has led, for more than a decade, the world ranking with the most violent murders in the LGBTQ+ community.
The Aly Muritiba production opens Friday, August 26 at the Quad Cinema in New York and Friday, September 9 at the Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles.
