New Movies: A Desert (2024) by Joshua Erkman: A Descent into Neo-Noir Horror
- dailyentertainment95
- May 29
- 9 min read
"A Desert" is Joshua Erkman's feature debut, a surreal horror neo-noir that plunges a landscape photographer, Alex Clark, into a terrifying spiral of unpredictable events. What begins as a road trip to reignite his creative spark in the American Southwest quickly turns into a nightmare when he encounters a reckless, enigmatic couple. The film masterfully blends isolation, paranoia, and a growing sense of dread, taking unexpected narrative turns and involving a hardboiled private investigator as it deconstructs the nature of images and their sinister power.
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32139458/
About movie: https://darkskyfilms.com/film/a-desert/
Link to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-desert (US), https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/a-desert (Canada)
Detailed Summary
"A Desert," released in 2024, is the feature-length debut of writer-director Joshua Erkman, co-written with Bossi Baker. This horror-thriller, with strong neo-noir elements, takes viewers into the stark and eerie landscapes of the American Southwest. The film centers on Alex Clark (Kai Lennox), a middle-aged photographer struggling to revive his faltering career and creative mojo. He embarks on a solo road trip, seeking inspiration by capturing abandoned movie theaters and derelict structures in the desolate desert, a project he sees as nature reclaiming man's constructions.
However, his tranquil pursuit takes a dark turn when he encounters a wild and unsettling local named Renny (Zachary Ray Sherman) and a woman Renny introduces as his sister, Susie Q (Ashley B. Smith), at a seedy motel. Despite his better judgment and growing unease, Alex is drawn into their orbit, leading to a night of disturbing events. This encounter pulls him into a nightmarish spiral that defies expectations and transforms the narrative significantly.
The film then segues into a second chapter, introducing Sam Clark (Sarah Lind), Alex's wife, and a world-weary private investigator, Harold Palladino (David Yow). Harold is hired to investigate a disappearance, and his cynical journey begins to intertwine with Alex's horrifying experience, creating a puzzle-box narrative. "A Desert" is praised for its "unpredictable" journey and its blend of genres, shifting from a quiet psychological thriller to a brutal and transgressive horror experience. It explores themes of isolation, alienation, and the unsettling power of images, building a pervasive atmosphere of dread that culminates in a terrifying and nihilistic climax. The film's cinematography by Jay Keitel and score by Ty Segall also contribute significantly to its unsettling ambiance.
Plot Summary
Alex's Artistic Quest: Photographer Alex Clark embarks on a road trip through the American Southwest, capturing abandoned sites with his large-format camera, hoping to rekindle his creativity.
The Disturbing Encounter: During his travels, Alex meets the erratic and unsettling Renny and his companion Susie Q, who quickly pull him into a series of unsettling and dangerous events.
A Nightmare Unfolds: What begins as an uncomfortable encounter rapidly escalates into a nightmarish ordeal, forcing Alex into increasingly dire and unpredictable situations.
Narrative Shift: The film introduces a new storyline featuring a private investigator, Harold Palladino, who is hired to find a missing person, and Alex's wife, Sam, connecting their investigations in unexpected and chilling ways.
Unraveling a Twisted Reality: As the lines between reality and nightmare blur, the characters and the audience are left to piece together a fragmented and horrifying truth, culminating in a bleak and unsettling conclusion.
Director's Vision
Joshua Erkman's vision for "A Desert" is to create a "terrifying cautionary tale about seeking the sublime, only to unexpectedly end up in a place quite the opposite." He aims for a "surreal horror neo-noir" that deeply explores human psychology and the dark side of American landscapes. Key elements of his vision include:
Genre Blending: Erkman intentionally collides the aesthetics of neo-noir (isolation, paranoia, moral ambiguity, detective work) with the dread and visceral impact of horror, creating a unique and unsettling cinematic experience.
The Power of Images: Central to the film is the concept of photography and images themselves as a "MacGuffin," not just capturing reality but influencing it and revealing hidden, often sinister truths. Erkman, who is also a photographer, uses the desert landscape as a character and the camera as a thematic device.
Subverting Expectations: Drawing comparisons to Hitchcock's "Psycho" and Lynch's "Lost Highway," Erkman's vision is to defy traditional narrative structures, introducing abrupt shifts and unexpected character arcs to keep the audience disoriented and on edge.
Atmospheric Dread: Working with cinematographer Jay Keitel and composer Ty Segall, Erkman aims to build a pervasive atmosphere of "bleak, uncompromising dread" that slowly escalates into a "crescendo of utter madness."
Nihilism and Ambiguity: The film is designed to offer a "savage nihilism" and to resist tidy answers, allowing for ambiguity and prompting the audience to grapple with unsettling questions about human nature and the inherent darkness in certain spaces.
Themes
Isolation and Alienation: The vast, empty desert landscape mirrors the psychological isolation of the characters, especially Alex, who seeks solitude but finds himself deeply entangled.
The Corrupting Power of Images: The film explores the idea that images, particularly photographs, can reveal unsettling truths or even hold a sinister power, impacting those who capture or view them.
Moral Decay and Nihilism: Characters operate in shades of moral ambiguity, and the narrative delves into the darker aspects of human nature, with a pervasive sense of dread and a bleak outlook.
The Fragility of Reality: The film blends realism with surreal, nightmarish elements, challenging the audience's perception of what is real and what is a hallucination or an extension of the characters' psychological states.
Unpredictability of Fate: The narrative twists and turns emphasize how quickly a journey can devolve into horror, and how easily one can fall prey to unforeseen dangers.
Key Success Factors
Unique Genre Hybrid: Its successful blend of neo-noir and horror creates a fresh and unsettling experience that stands out.
Strong Festival Presence: Premiering at Tribeca and winning awards at Sitges and FrightFest indicates strong critical and genre audience appeal.
Atmospheric Filmmaking: Director Joshua Erkman's vision, supported by cinematographer Jay Keitel and composer Ty Segall, creates a deeply immersive and unsettling mood.
Compelling Performances: The cast, particularly Kai Lennox as Alex, Zachary Ray Sherman as Renny, and David Yow as Harold, delivers nuanced and often unsettling portrayals.
Thought-Provoking Ambiguity: The film's refusal to offer easy answers and its open-ended nature encourage audience interpretation and a lingering sense of unease.
Awards and Nominations
"A Desert" has already received significant recognition on the festival circuit:
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2024:
Winner: Best Feature Film New Visions
FrightFest Film Festival (London) 2024:
Winner: Best Feature Film
Winner: Best Actor (likely referring to Kai Lennox or a collective cast recognition)
Tribeca Film Festival 2024: World Premiere
Critics Reception
"A Desert" has garnered largely positive reviews, with a Metascore of 64 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "Generally Favorable Reviews."
Positive Highlights:
MovieWeb: "A truly transgressive horror film that pushes the genre's limits... A cerebral puzzle for cinephiles that cleverly deconstructs the nature of film." It was called "the nastiest and most disturbing of the bunch," comparing it to films like "Salò" and "Peeping Tom."
Bloody Disgusting: Praised its "captivating and stylized blend of neo-noir and horror," noting that it "refuses to follow a linear path." They also highlighted Zachary Ray Sherman's "explosive performance."
Hammer to Nail: Called it a "terrifying cautionary tale" that "takes its time unraveling the nightmare at the center without losing its momentum," comparing it to "Lynch's Lost Highway crossed with the neo-noir brutality of the Coen Brother's Blood Simple."
The Daily Beast: Stated, "It's a nightmare that burrows under one's skin like a virus (or a curse), and it heralds its creator as a bracing new genre-filmmaking voice."
Screen Rant: Declared it "the scariest movie I've seen all year."
Mixed/Less Favorable Points:
Variety: Found that it "lacks the tension and atmosphere to pull that tricky gambit off" of aiming for enigmatic mystery.
RogerEbert.com: Criticized its "unyielding scenario" and "thinly drawn characters," making it "hard to want to hang around."
Plex/Other aggregated reviews: Some viewers noted that its "surreal ambiguity only says so much" and that the story "didn't know where it intended to go." Others found the pacing "glacial."
Overall Summary: "A Desert" is being hailed as a bold, unsettling, and transgressive debut that successfully merges neo-noir with horror. Critics commend its atmospheric dread, strong performances, and challenging narrative structure. While its ambiguity and slow burn might not appeal to everyone, it's widely recognized for pushing genre boundaries and leaving a lasting, disturbing impression.
Reviews
Genre-Bending: Reviews consistently highlight the film's successful fusion of neo-noir and horror elements, creating a unique and often unsettling experience.
Atmosphere and Tone: The pervasive sense of dread, nihilism, and an "eerie, sinister" tone are frequently praised, attributed to both the direction and technical elements like cinematography and score.
Performances: Kai Lennox's nuanced portrayal of Alex, Zachary Ray Sherman's unsettling performance as Renny, and David Yow's impactful role as Harold are often singled out for their effectiveness.
Narrative Structure and Ambiguity: Reviewers discuss the non-linear plot and the film's deliberate ambiguity, which some find compelling and others find frustrating or unclear.
Visuals and Sound: Jay Keitel's cinematography is lauded for its striking visuals of the desert landscape, and Ty Segall's score is noted for enhancing the film's unsettling atmosphere.
Box Office
"A Desert" has had a limited theatrical release starting May 2, 2025, in the US by Dark Sky Films. As an independent horror/neo-noir film, its box office performance is not expected to be significant and figures are not widely publicized. Its primary reach will likely be through its upcoming digital and VOD release.
Production Summary
"A Desert" is a 100-minute (or 103/108 minutes, depending on source) American horror-thriller film produced in 2024. It is the feature debut for writer-director Joshua Erkman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Bossi Baker. The film stars Kai Lennox as Alex Clark, Sarah Lind as Sam Clark, Zachary Ray Sherman as Renny, David Yow as Harold Palladino, and Ashley B. Smith as Susie Q. Other cast includes Rob Zabrecky (The Director), Alexandra Ryan, S.A. Griffin, William Bookston, and Bill J. Stevens. Jay Keitel is the cinematographer, and Star Rosencrans is the editor. Ty Segall composed the original music. Hugues Barbier, Joshua Erkman, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick are credited as producers.
Production Companies
Dark Sky Films (distributor/producer in US, but production company not explicitly listed as a separate entity from the individuals involved). IMDbPro lists: Hugues Barbier, Joshua Erkman, Justin Timms, Joe Yanick as producers.
Sales Companies
Yellow Veil Pictures (International Sales) and Dark Sky Films (North American Sales).
Distribution Companies
Dark Sky Films (USA) is handling the theatrical and digital distribution in the United States. Plex also lists it as available for streaming.
Release date on streaming
"A Desert" was released digitally and on VOD platforms in the US on May 30, 2025.
Theatrical Release
"A Desert" had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. It received a limited theatrical release in the US by Dark Sky Films starting on May 2, 2025. It also screened at various film festivals throughout 2024, including Sitges International Film Festival and FrightFest Film Festival.
Why to recommend this movie
For fans of unique genre cinema: It's a bold and unsettling blend of neo-noir, horror, and psychological thriller that defies easy categorization.
A strong directorial debut: Joshua Erkman shows remarkable confidence and vision in his first feature, creating a consistently eerie and unpredictable atmosphere.
Compelling performances: The cast delivers nuanced and memorable portrayals, especially Zachary Ray Sherman's unsettling Renny and David Yow's world-weary detective.
Visually striking and atmospheric: The cinematography captures the stark beauty and inherent dread of the desert, complemented by an unsettling score.
Thought-provoking and ambiguous: It's a film that lingers after viewing, prompting contemplation on themes of reality, images, and human depravity.
Why to Watch Movie
If you enjoy films that challenge narrative conventions: "A Desert" takes unexpected turns and doesn't spoon-feed answers.
For a genuinely unsettling and transgressive horror experience: It's not about jump scares but a pervasive sense of dread and psychological terror.
If you appreciate art-house horror that blurs genres: The film is more concerned with mood and theme than traditional horror tropes.
To see the work of a promising new filmmaker: Joshua Erkman's debut marks him as a director to watch.
If you're fascinated by the dark side of human nature and isolated landscapes: The film explores these themes in a unique and disturbing way.
Movie Trend
"A Desert" aligns with the trend of Auteur-Driven, Atmospheric Indie Horror that Blurs Genre Lines. This trend often sees new filmmakers pushing the boundaries of horror by incorporating elements of psychological thrillers, neo-noir, or art-house cinema, focusing on mood, ambiguity, and disturbing themes rather than explicit gore. It also reflects a resurgence of Desert-Set Horror/Thriller, using the vast, isolated landscape to amplify themes of dread and psychological unraveling (e.g., "The Hitcher," "No Country for Old Men," "The Hills Have Eyes").
Social Trend
"A Desert" taps into the social trend of Anxiety Regarding Truth, Perception, and the Nature of Reality in the Digital Age. While not directly about digital media, the film's thematic exploration of images, what they capture, and their potential to mislead or distort reality resonates with contemporary concerns about deepfakes, misinformation, and the increasingly subjective nature of truth. The idea of a "desert" as a place where one can get lost—both literally and figuratively—mirrors a societal unease with navigating a landscape of shifting information and unreliable narratives.
Final Verdict
"A Desert" is a chilling and audacious feature debut from Joshua Erkman, a filmmaker with a clear and unsettling vision. It masterfully blends the isolated dread of the American Southwest with the psychological twists of neo-noir and the visceral horror of a descent into madness. While its deliberate ambiguity and non-linear structure may not appeal to all, it's a film that rewards patience with a truly transgressive and unforgettable experience. With its striking cinematography, eerie score, and compelling performances, "A Desert" marks Erkman as a bold new voice in independent genre cinema, leaving a lasting and deeply disturbing impression on those who dare to venture into its unsettling depths.
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