Desert Hearts 18

Donna Deitch’s swooning and sensual first film, Desert Hearts, was ground-breaking when it was released in 1985: a love story about two women, made entirely independently, on a shoestring budget, directed by a woman.

With undeniable chemistry between its two leads, an evocative jukebox soundtrack, and vivid cinematography, Desert Hearts is a soulful, electrifying romance.

Set in the 1950s, Desert Hearts follows strait-laced professor Vivian Bell as she arrives in Nevada to file for divorce. On arrival she winds up catching the eye of someone new, the free-spirited young Cay, setting off a slow seduction that unfolds against a breath-taking desert landscape.