It is 1950s Nevada, and Professor Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce. She's unsatisfied with her marriage, and feels out of place at the ranch she stays on, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Cay Rivers, an open and self-assured lesbian, and the ranch owner's daughter.
"Desert Hearts" is notable for being the first film to depict a lesbian relationship where both characters enjoy a satisfactory ending, in contrast to previously released films such as "Personal Best" that focus less on the relationship of the main characters, and where one returns to a relationship with a man.
The history of gay and lesbian film themes is interesting in how it shifts over time, and I have to wonder if the representations are in any way accurate. Does this film show the 1950s or simply how the 1980s saw the 1950s? How interesting that until this point, any lesbian romance was doomed. Today (2016) we have lesbian themes on film that are not doomed or successful, but just exist as a matter of fact.
"Desert Hearts" is notable for being the first film to depict a lesbian relationship where both characters enjoy a satisfactory ending, in contrast to previously released films such as "Personal Best" that focus less on the relationship of the main characters, and where one returns to a relationship with a man.
The history of gay and lesbian film themes is interesting in how it shifts over time, and I have to wonder if the representations are in any way accurate. Does this film show the 1950s or simply how the 1980s saw the 1950s? How interesting that until this point, any lesbian romance was doomed. Today (2016) we have lesbian themes on film that are not doomed or successful, but just exist as a matter of fact.