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Twentynine Palms France/Germany

The latest controversial film from acclaimed French auteur Bruno Dumont (The Life of Jesus, MIFF 1998) is a visually breathtaking metaphysical road movie that takes audiences on a trip into the dark recesses of the human psyche. Unconcerned with plot, Dumont's intention is to unravel an allegorical fable, with an observation of sex and violence set in the spiritual surrounds of the desert.,p>David is a carefree American who heads out into the sweltering Californian desert on a 'location scout'; his lover, Katya, a volatile Russian, is along for the ride. Neither speaks each other's first language, so their verbal exchanges are conducted in a fractured and harsh-sounding French. Their main form of communication takes the form of very raw, primal sexual encounters. When they fight, it is an onslaught of guttural sounds and explosions of pent-up anger. While immersed in this primordial, heady mix of sexual entanglement, the threat of violence charges the air and it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes.

'The sustained force of Dumont's vision of existence as a swirl of brute instincts' marks him as a major filmmaker.' -The New York Times

Please note: contains scenes that may offend some viewers

D/S Bruno Dumont P Jean Brehat, Rachid Bouchareb WS Flach Pyramide International L French, English w/English subtitles TD 35mm/Col/2003/119mins

Bruno Dumont was born in Bailleul, France in 1958. Films: The Life of Jesus (MIFF 1998), L'Humanité (1999).