Twentynine Palms (2003)

AKA: –
Directed by: Bruno Dumont
Starring: David Wissak (David), Katia Golubeva (Katia)
Country: France, USA
Language: English, French, Russian (English subs for foreign parts)
Runtime: 01:54:04

Plot – Spoilers:
A couple are in Twentynine Palms with the vague goal of scouting. David is some kind of photographer or filmmaker and Katia his girlfriend, perhaps a model or actress. The scouting takes a backseat as the couple meander through the desert-town doing nothing, sometimes fucking amongst the hot, sun-baked rocks.

Though they do pretty much nothing of significance until the finale, the couple is very watchable. Katia seems to be terribly depressed and is often triggered by the slightest. David meanwhile appears to be floating through the relationship, but has dark streaks paddling beneath. They have frequent bouts of sex where David comically grunts and squeals like he were the first and last man on earth. Anyway, the reason the couple are very watchable is because most of the time you don’t know what the fuck they’re doing together. They struggle to communicate with each other and often switch between English and French, and Katia even slips into Russian when stressed. But then other times, they seem perfectly fine together, comfortably indulging in meaningful nothings.

If these kinds of movies don’t do it for you, it’s probably worth sticking for the finale that is mostly unpredictable despite the looming sense of foreboding that Katia has throughout.

Genres: Mental Illness, Unsimulated Sex, Pissing, Rape-against Men