Twentynine Palms
No one can accuse director Bruno Dumont of taking the easy road. Dumont'sLife of JesusandL'Humaniteare fascinating, but they test the comfort zone of even the most devoted art-house maven.Twentynine Palmsserves up more of Dumont's uncompromising rigor, this time set in America. A couple scout locations in the desert around Joshua Tree, and spend most of their time fighting or having sex. The frankness of the director's approach to sex does not prepare one for the shock of the truly bleak final reels. ThisLast TangoinZabrieskie Pointhas a lulling, creepy power before it reaches those shocks, although actors David Wissak and Katia Golubeva are perhaps not as compelling as Dumont wants them to be. Of course, he's showing empty people traversing one of the emptiest places on earth--so maybe it fits. In any case, this film will shake you if you stick with it.--Robert Horton