Movie Review: Deserted. All Eyes on Mischa Barton in Slow Burning Thriller

Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: Ashley Avis
Cast: Mischa Barton, Jackson Davis, Winter Ave Zolie, and Trent Ford
Studio: Invincible Pictures
Runtime: 97 minutes
Rated: NR

Rating: ★★★★★

“The desert holds a different story for everyone.” — Deserted.

The tagline for Deserted is an apt metaphor for the entire film. When survival is on the line, everyone’s true nature emerges.

Deserted centers on Jae (Mischa Barton), just released from prison into the care of her older brother Robin (Jackson Davis) at their childhood home in Ridgecrest, California. Pursuing a desire to escape the small town, Jae decides to join Robin, his girlfriend Rosemary (Winter Ave Zolie), and several other friends at Burn the Moon, a concert festival in the desert (clearly meant to be Burning Man). But alas, fate has other plans, putting them into the path of fellow concert-goer Troy (Trent Ford) and his posse, and through a series of mishaps, straight into the maw of the unforgiving desert.

Barton breathes life into her character with skillful emotion. Her reserved brooding brings forth Jae’s clearly troubled past. Jae’s baggage is something she carries with her, masked as reserved aloofness. She separates herself at the bar and would rather isolate herself with music than engage with the others in her group.

Barton brings viewers through her journey as she digs through her past wounds, forced to confront her personal demons to find the inner strength needed to survive. The journey is physically and emotionally taxing with new dangers at every turn, presented by both people and nature.

Unfortunately other than Jae, most of the other characters in Deserted are trivial, unlikeable, and completely forgettable. Some of the characters are there only to fill character archetypes and satisfy suspicions of how you feel they will fare navigating their way through the desert. Jasmine (Kelly Brannigan), who dresses in cutoff shorts and heels, mostly whines the whole time, and Dax is the quintessential drug dealing, mumbling guy who is one vision quest away from finding himself. These are the kind of characters who the audience knows will be the first to go should there be casualties.

The writing also suffers some of these problems. Giving time to small insights of secondary characters should make them more layered, but it only serves to distract from the larger narrative, on which some of these characters barely make an impact.

Directed and written by Ashley Avis, Deserted is her first feature film. In her director’s note, Avis reveals the landscapes of Death Valley inspired Deserted; everything from the breathtaking views down to the character names are all spawned from the vastness of the terrain. This inspiration is palpable upon viewing. Each piece of the desert is represented — the sand dunes, salt flats, cracked vistas, and scrub brush — through cinematography that depicts the larger-than-life feel of the inescapable landscape. Much in the same way that the characters cannot outrun their demons, they are forced to confront the desert and all of its treacherous secrets. The bleakness and beauty of the desert are juxtaposed in pivotal scenes, both tragic and jubilant. These moments linger long after the film ends.

What it lacks in characters, Deserted has with its cinematic storytelling. Avis created a film where the desert and Mother Nature themselves are characters. The movie doesn’t offer thrills like a slasher or mystery; instead, the tension creeps along in the background, haunting each scene with growing desperation. Mundane things like food, water, medicine, and shelter all vanish and only through force of will can the characters reclaim them.

Overall, Deserted is a gripping story of survival and redemption. I recommend this film for fans of dramas like 127 Hours, Everest, and Lost (my personal favorite); you will definitely respond to the tension of survival and the struggle to overcome personal demons that play a central focus in Deserted.

Watched Deserted? Tweet me your thoughts @ErinSRichards.

Deserted is available via Cable VOD and Digital HD on February 28.

For more information on Deserted, visit the official website.

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Erin Richards-Kunkel

The one with the overly-active imagination! Erin is a fan of all things storytelling in every form (movies, books, shows, podcasts, you name it). She is known for always carrying a book in her bag as well as paper and pen (just in case). She is also currently working on her debut YA novel. Find her on Twitter @ErinSRichards!