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Being in a rut sucks. Whether it is a physical one or a metaphorical one being stuck is never exciting and often feels endless. DESERT ROAD the directorial debut from Shannon Triplett is all about those crossroads of young adulthood. Those 20’s before the 30’s where nothing makes sense and individuality works against you as much as it can be your ally. It’s a film that feels in debt to its Twilight Zone inspiration but unlike many filmmakers who want to aspire to follow in the same footsteps or for worse try to be the next Jordan Peele DESERT ROAD is surprisingly and thankfully its own thing thanks to a great strength of empathy from both Triplett and especially its star Kristine Froseth. Froseth who holds the world on her shoulders in a performance that comes off incredibly natural for the insane amount of work and desperation she must display. For a film that defines singularity and genres Froseth is at the forefront bringing us into a new realm with every scene. Innocent in one frame, dangerous in the next all culminating in a calming and heartwarming display of road thankfully traveled.

Claire (Kristine Froseth) doesn’t have a lot of faith in herself. A young woman who although may have a passion for photography refuses to allow herself to be called a photographer because she has not even been paid for any of her work. Froseth as Claire brings a sadness that never gains our pity but rather our empathy as many can relate to that feeling of loving something but in a world that values pretty much all art by its profit it can be frustrating to never see a dime come in for your talents. But her lack of income is just a minor problem for Claire as after getting her car jammed into a small boulder is trapped right outside a one gas station road on a highway far in the middle of her road trip from California to Iowa. It also doesn’t help that the one man run gas station attendant (Max Mattern) greets Claire with a sense of both creepiness and possible violence as he stares her ogles her every move, asks for her number and continues to trace her steps as she walks back to her car. Mattern as the attendant may have the same doe eye innocence of Claire but when any woman must know the feeling of how even the smallest of men can turn into a deadly nightmare. It is a feeling that follows Claire throughout her attempts at getting her car out and back on her journey.

All this could have been easily solved with the proper help from the town’s local tow truck driver or even sheriff, but Claire has one problem that won’t seem to change. No matter how many far she travels on foot down this highway she keeps ending up at her car. The “Groundhog Day” scenario is nothing new to films and while Claire may not be experiencing the same day and day over again this inability to escape the same situation allows for Triplett to have some wicked fun with both Claire and the audience’s expectations of a genre that has while been done before is always in the mood for recreation. That may be the film’s biggest surprise in that DESERT ROAD never tries to be like its inspirations but rather an addition. As Claire keeps coming back to this uncomfortable gas station there is a heightened tension especially since there is an ongoing mystery of if this could be all from a concussion Claire may have suffered during her car accident, and even more so regardless of what is the root of this repetitive incident there is still the fact that Claire a young woman is trapped and now not just with a creepy gas attendant but a possible violent tow sheriff Steve (a welcomed Ryan Hurst).

But even as Claire’s situation worsens, Froseth’s performance grows stronger with every passing (and same) situation. Froseth grows from unassured to taking control of her situation as she uses both her photography skills and own ingenuity to figure out if her bizarre predicament is indeed reality and how she can escape. Froseth has such a hold on this performance that you find yourself reminded that the best actors have the ability to play polar opposite as she channels this unassured young woman. The script also written by Triplett has a finite way in its thinking avoiding tropes of the well set genre as well as allowing its audience to never get too far ahead while also never pulling the rug from under them for the sake of a scare or twist. No instead the film’s biggest secret comes from when its more terrifying elements (including a mysterious shadowy figure following Claire) blends into a heartwarming look at the difficulties of asking for help and community. It may seem like a surprising turn but Triplett has set the actions in play from the very beginning and like most great script writers takes her time showing her full hand. It is here where DESERT ROAD dwells into a compassionate look at how it takes a village for anyone to accomplish life’s hardest tasks. The film never makes Claire wrong for her prejudgments of others (in fact she’s quite right about one of them) but it also holds onto a notion that like making your first feature film everyone is necessary and plays an important role. For a film that opens with Harry Nilson’s “Jump Into the Fire” one of the wildest moments is finding yourself shed a few tears by the time its hit its pivotal moment involving an all-time great in Beau Bridges. But that is just the kind of film DESERT ROAD is and reminds you what can make a film festival so exciting. To discover a new voice and a complete surprise of a film that you’d be happy to get stuck with over and over again.

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DESERT ROAD PREMIERED AT THE 2024 SOUTH BY SOUTH WEST FILM FESTIVAL. IT IS CURRENTLY SEEKING U.S. DISTRIBUTION