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The Desiring
USA 2021
produced by Graham Pritz-Bennett, Byron Lamarque for Pebble Pictures
directed by Byron Lamarque
starring Joseph Gray, Suzanne Lenz, Don DiPetta, Randy Spence, Treas Ross, Laura Woyasz, Tim Perez-Ross, Cat Lellie, H. Jazz Undy, Rachel Danger, Jessica Pruehs, David Price, Pamela Hardy, Tina Reynolds
written by Graham Pritz-Bennett, music by Sara Barone
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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When he was a kid, Richard (Treas Ross) and his dad (Randy Spence) were
almost inseparable, and went on many a hunting and camping trips - and his
father's eccentricity sure rubbed off on his son - so his death by
apparent suicide left a deep impression on Richard and haunts him to his
very day ... These days, Richard (now played by Joseph Gray) is marries
to lovely Claire (Suzanne Lenz), and while their relationship might have
lost some of its initial gleam, they're still happy with one another, even
if Claire is somewhat irritated by the long shifts Richard puts in at
work. Fact is, some of the long shifts Richard puts in are to help out his
colleague and best friend Eric (Don DiPetta) - and then Richard finds out
that Clair cheats on him with of all people Eric. This triggers a whole
slew of emotions in Richard - but somehow jealousy is not among them.
Rather he feels aroused spying in on his wife and best friend's
lovemaking, and he actually puts in extra shifts for Eric so he can be
with Claire. Also, he feels a lot hornier than in a long time, but really
only for his wife, when his good friend and boss at work Mary (Laura
Woyasz), a very desirable woman in her own right, tries to seduce him.
Thing is, Claire doesn't necessarily feel as sexually drawn to Richard as
he does to her of late, which leaves Richard above all confused - a
combination that's just bound to come to a head, and soon ... While
stylistically going for Southern gothic, which is mirrored in the
film's many atmospheric shots and spiritual undercurrents, The Desiring
is at its heart an intentionally off-beat character piece of a man lost in
his own emotional world, marred by childhood experiences - which works
quite as well because the film refuses to spell everything out in bold
letters, instead (intentionally) loses itself in hints and even leaves
chunks of the story untold - all of which makes the film quite a
fascinating experience. And strong imagery and a competent ensemble cast
playing well fleshed-out characters only help make this a very worthwhile
piece of cinema.
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