Twentynine Palms (2004)

Synopsis: French philosopher-turned-filmmaker Bruno Dumont follows up his award-winning drama HUMANITE with the equally devastating TWENTYNINE PALMS. Dumont's self-professed "experimental horror film"... French philosopher-turned-filmmaker Bruno Dumont follows up his award-winning drama HUMANITE with the equally devastating TWENTYNINE PALMS. Dumont's self-professed "experimental horror film" follows a couple as they journey to the California desert town of Twentynine Palms and encounter true evil. David (David Wissack), an American photographer, and his Russian girlfriend Katia (Katia Golubeva), are scouting locations for an upcoming photo shoot. During the day, they drive David's Hummer into the expansive desert and roam freely, while at night, they argue in broken French and have animalistic sex. Eventually, their luck runs out, as the outside world catches up to them and causes their tragic demise. TWENTYNINE PALMS is a jaw-droppingly brash work of art. Dumont takes a stylistic cue from French master Robert Bresson, simplifying his filmmaking technique in order to ponder deeper issues of humanity (good vs. evil, love vs. hate, sex/life vs. death). The result is a truly challenging film, which will confound and anger as many viewers as it stimulates and thrills. Like Lars von Trier's DOGVILLE, TWENTYNINE PALMS will also be accused of anti-Americanism, but Dumont's message is clearly a universal one. He uses a sparse yet familiar American landscape to subvert viewer's expectations, building to one of the most shocking finales in cinematic history. [More]

Starring: Katerina Golubeva, David Wissack

Starring: Katerina Golubeva, David Wissack

Director: Bruno Dumont

Director: Bruno Dumont
Screenwriter: Bruno Dumont
Producer: Jean Brehat
Studio: Wellspring

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