Desert Road, 2024.
Written and Directed by Shannon Triplett.
Starring Kristine Froseth, Frances Fisher, Beau Bridges, Ryan Hurst, D.B. Woodside, Max Mattern, Rachel Dratch, and Edwin Garcia II.
SYNOPSIS:
A young woman crashes her car and walks down the road seeking help, only to find that she ends up back at her car no matter which way she walks. As night falls, she realizes she’s going to die in this endless loop… unless she can find a way to escape.
A pleasantly brain-teasing time loop film that is quite literally about finding yourself as much as it is escaping the nightmare, debut writer/director Shannon Triplett’s Desert Road is centered on photographer Clare (Kristine Froseth), giving up that dream, traveling from Los Angeles back to her mom in Iowa, detouring along the way to take pictures of some dunes. Like many of us, she is her harshest critic and feels like her career is going nowhere. It is a far-too-young existential crisis that is only accentuated by her mother (an over the phone voice performance by Rachel Dratch) suggesting that people are not meant to be lonely and that she should consider looking for a partner.
Perhaps Clare has the right idea tackling life single, as the first of several mysteries occurs when she comes across an oddball cashier (Max Mattern) at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, who could either be a nice guy or up to no good. Either way, Clare is suspicious, under the impression that he is presenting a façade of kindness for ulterior, malicious motives. Her suspicion greatly increases once she not only hits a rock and get a flat tire on the road, but finds geography and reality no longer making sense, winding up back at that same gas station no matter which direction she walks. She also tries phoning a tow truck employee and sheriff for assistance, but they strangely happen to be the same guy, a man named Steve (Ryan Hurst.)
From a pure sci-fi perspective, what really gives Desert Road suspense and engagement is a script that is willing to ensure that Clare is smart and resourceful at every turn, questioning every small event that has led up to her not being able to escape this road and the time loop that she finds herself in. She wonders if she was drugged, if she is being scammed (her cards are suddenly declined when trying to pay for the tow service), and wisely observes the ways such a thing could have happened, keeping us on our toes with her. The performance from Kristine Froseth excellently conveys both of those attributes, standing up for herself and refusing to be a helpless victim, yet also falling further and further into a defeatist mentality (one that aligns with her feelings on her stagnant photography career) the more she unsuccessfully tries to break the time loop.
Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Clare’s camera might be useful for keeping track of what’s happening across the years she travels and how to escape. It is certainly a unique approach of encouraging one to not give up on their dreams. However, the third act somewhat becomes too focused on another character, an unnamed older man (Beau Bridges) who has spent his entire life searching for Clare. Apparently, over the years her disappearance became a local story with a memorial for her placed on the side of the road where her car broke down.
Naturally, much of the entertainment from watching Desert Road comes from its surprises and twists, so too much won’t be revealed here, but what will be said is that there is a mixture of clever ideas with some predictable ones for the genre. There are some elements that people won’t have too much trouble figuring out, but even so, the themes the film is getting at, relating to chasing one’s dreams, pinpointing how someone can be trusted, loneliness, and wasted lives versus ensuring that life doesn’t go to waste, are all smartly handled enough to offset that. It’s also well-shot film indoors and outdoors that takes advantage of showing the striking scenery while reminding that, even with all this open free space, there is no escape.
Desert Road is a clever, purposeful take on time loop stories, rendered palpable by a terrific turn from Kristine Froseth. There are answers to be found here, but be assured that it’s that the thematic journey that resonates more.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
