Desierto is a harrowing and minimalist thriller that turns the perilous journey of a group of undocumented migrants into a primal, life-or-death chase. The film, directed by Jonás Cuarón, is a tense and unrelenting cinematic experience that strips away all but the most basic elements of survival. The story begins with a group of hopeful Mexican migrants who, after a truck breakdown, are forced to continue their journey on foot across the unforgiving terrain of the Sonoran Desert. Led by the resourceful and determined Moisés (Gael García Bernal), a man trying to get back to his family, the group sets out on a seemingly endless trek under the brutal sun. Their hopes for a new life, however, are violently shattered when they stumble into the crosshairs of a lone, rifle-toting American vigilante named Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
Sam, accompanied by his vicious and highly-trained dog, sees the migrants not as human beings but as trespassers on his land, and he takes it upon himself to hunt them down like animals. The film quickly transforms into a relentless cat-and-mouse game, with the vast, desolate landscape becoming both a beautiful backdrop and a terrifying prison. The migrants, unarmed and unprepared for this kind of threat, are forced to use their wits, their instincts, and the little resources they have to survive.
The film's strength lies in its simplicity and its ability to build an almost unbearable level of suspense. There is very little dialogue, with the narrative largely driven by the characters' actions and the raw, visceral sound of the desert. The tension is palpable, as every rustle of the wind, every footstep on the gravel, and every distant gunshot becomes a harbinger of doom. The film doesn't offer a lot of backstory for its characters, and it doesn't need to. We understand their desperation and their humanity through their struggle to live, and we understand the pure, unadulterated evil of their pursuer through his cold, methodical actions.
Desierto is a powerful film that takes a real-world issue and frames it within the confines of a classic horror-thriller genre. It's a gripping and intense experience that doesn't let up from the moment the first bullet is fired. The film is a sobering and unforgettable look at the darkness that can exist in the human heart, and the incredible will to survive against impossible odds.
Desierto is a 2016 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes.
It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1 and a MetaScore of 51.
