The first trailer for the immigrant thriller Desierto has been released online by STX Entertainment. Directed by Jonás Cuarón, the film stars Gael Garcia Bernal as a man crossing the U.S./Mexico border in hopes of finding a better life, only to find himself and others the target of a deranged, rifle-toting vigilante played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Cuarón, who co-wrote Gravity with his father Alfonso Cuarón and directed the tie-in short Aningaaq, co-wrote and directed this picture, with Alfonso serving as a producer. Indeed, certainly some of Alfonso’s visual style has found its way into Desierto, but I’m curious to see Jonás make this film his own, especially with such a tantalizing and timely premise. The trailer itself is fairly promising, though I imagine the make-or-break of the movie will be in Morgan’s performance, and whether he comes off as cartoonish or straight-up terrifying.
Take a look at the trailer below and click here to read Phil's review from the Toronto International Film Festival. Desierto also stars Alondra Hidalgo and opens in theaters on March 4, 2016.
Here’s the official synopsis for Desierto:
From Jonás Cuarón and Alfonso Cuarón, the acclaimed filmmakers of GRAVITY, comes a unique, modern vision of terror. DESIERTO is a visceral, heart-pounding suspense-thriller packed with tension and suspense from start to finish, starring Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries and Y Tu Mamá También) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen). What begins as a hopeful journey to seek a better life becomes a harrowing and primal fight for survival when a deranged, rifle-toting vigilante chases a group of unarmed men and women through the treacherous U.S.-Mexican border. In the harsh, unforgiving desert terrain, the odds are stacked firmly against them as they continuously discover there's nowhere to hide from the unrelenting, merciless killer.
