A photographer on a road trip across the American Southwest is thrust into the nihilistic underbelly of America and drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him.

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Video Quality

A Desert makes its Blu-Ray debut with an impressive 1080p video presentation that showcases the sumptuous, grimy cinematography well. The image has a somewhat desolate quality about it with an arid color palette permeating the screen. The film deploys some complex, earthy colors in the expanses of dying terrain which delivers a haunting image. The presentation displays a fetching amount of depth while traversing the sprawl. The natural environments provide clear and tactile textural details. Black levels experience discrete signs of banding in some of the shadowy enclaves, but primarily they maintain their depth. The flesh tones are natural with a stomach-churning amount of detail present in close-ups, especially in the makeup and perspiration. This Blu-Ray stands tall as it captures the look of the film with precision.

Audio Quality

Dark Sky gives this Blu-Ray a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that commendably executes all of the sonic demands. Dialogue emerges crisp and clear without being trampled by any competing sounds. The eerie score is balanced while maintaining its fidelity. Kinetic moments are not a key part of this track, but certain developments deliver some ugly texture to the proceedings. Environmental sounds of nature engage the surround speakers in a worthy manner. When the characters are shuffling through the world, some creepy ambient details flesh out the setting. The nimble and effective sound design deploys with careful finessing of the surround speakers. The audio track provides a top-notch experience full of peculiarities that bring this narrative to life exactly as intended. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: There are three commentary tracks in which the talent discusses the movie and production in depth including the collaborative nature of the set, the camera movements, the shooting locations, and more.

- Audio Commentary #1: Director Joshua Erkman and Film Critic Anton Bitel

- Audio Commentary #2 (Crew): Director Joshua Erkman, cinematographer Jay Keitel, composer Ty Segall, producer Hugues Barbier, and more

- Audio Commentary #3 (Cast): Director Joshua Erkman, Kai Lennox, Zachary Ray Sherman, Sarah Lind, and more

Death of the New West – On the Photography of A Desert: A nine-minute piece in which Joshua Erkman discusses the photographic elements of the narrative, how he went about photographing what the character would in the movie, ideas that were sparked from the experience, and more.

Deleted Scenes: A nearly 11-minute selection of unused footage is provided with optional commentary from Joshua Erkman.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring an essay from film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas in which she provides a great analysis of the themes of the story, the layers at play, and more.

Final Thoughts

A Desert is a chilling dark crime film that deploys twists and turns in a way that keeps you on edge and bracing for the next punch to the chest. The film is deceptively simple, yet its true power is the way in which it dunks you into the sleazy narrative and strips away any sense of hope as you try to claw your way out. Every key player is dialed into the unique qualities of their characters, many of which will linger with you even after the experience is over. Dark Sky has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an impressive assortment of special features. If you do not mind wading into the darkness, be sure to check this one out. Highly Recommended

A Desert is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Dark Sky and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.