William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews Aug 13, 2024 4/5

Aly Muritiba’s Private Desert is not just an intimate, erotic story of queer love; it’s a timely, urgent film of incredible importance to both Brazilian and international societies.

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Nuha Hassan Nuha Hassan (Medium) Sep 8, 2023

Muritiba shows there is humanity, love, and connectedness even despite the initial difference, but honesty and sympathy are what drive this story.

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Ben Turner The Pink Lens May 7, 2023 3/5

It might not be a grand romance for the ages, but Private Desert is certainly a love-story with a unique hook that will live with you after the credits roll. It’s just a shame it faffs about along the way.

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Phil Hoad Guardian Apr 19, 2023 4/5

There is a change of styles from the intro’s sepulchral tableaus to something more loose and fluid, and Muritiba excels at infusing his drama with subtle state-of-the-nation resonance.

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Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Feb 1, 2023 3.5/4

It’s a film field with ache and passion... it offers hope rather than unending despair. T

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Tom Long Detroit News Nov 3, 2022 B

Muritaba avoids the obvious at every turn. Where Hollywood might turn a story like this into a vulgar piece of exploitation, in Private Desert both Daniel and Sara are conflicted, complex people...

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Víctor López G. Espinof Oct 20, 2022 8/10

Aly Muritiba shapes an extraordinary queer drama which, through his raw look at his native land's society, exposes the fragility of the concept of masculinity.

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Carlos Aguilar Los Angeles Times Sep 13, 2022

One becomes certain that “Private Desert” is the type of unshowy treasure at risk of being overlooked...

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Carlos Marañón Cinemanía (Spain) Sep 13, 2022 3.5/5

An interior journey that happens very quickly, but finds new life with a loved one and ends up acting as a revelatory mirror. [Full review in Spanish]

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Peter Canavese Groucho Reviews Sep 12, 2022 3/4

A melancholic and poetic queer romance that teases out some interesting ambiguities about the nature of the story's relationship.

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Dan Callahan TheWrap Sep 8, 2022

Enters the dangerous realm of fantasy and wish-fulfillment, revealing that the makers of this film are as recklessly naïve and morally questionable as their protagonists.

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Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) Sep 5, 2022

“Private Desert” is a remarkably nuanced story about love, masculinity, expectations, and vulnerability.

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Sumner Forbes Film Threat Sep 2, 2022 8.5/10

Couple the brilliant construction with the intense performances from Saboia and Fasanaro, and we have one of the more memorable foreign romance films in recent memory.

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Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Aug 31, 2022 4.5/5

What starts out as a gritty exploration of hyper-masculinity shifts into something surprisingly moving as it goes along.

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A.C. Koch Spectrum Culture Aug 31, 2022

The film suggests that even an abusive cop trapped in a prison of his own macho truculence can change his ways when love is at stake.

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Christopher Llewellyn Reed Hammer to Nail Aug 27, 2022

The result is a tender union of spirits, earned through genuine connection.

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Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue Aug 26, 2022

While the film scrutinizes masculine traditions in Brazilian culture with tenderness and heartfelt sincerity, its deliberate pace and awkward structure compromise the broader emotional resonance.

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Beatrice Loayza New York Times Aug 25, 2022

Muritiba understands that any portrait of masculinity that fixates too intensely on the cruelties and self-denials of machista culture are futile. Instead, he finds grace in stolen moments of tenderness...

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Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Aug 25, 2022

A protest for love, compassion and empathy. It's one of the most powerful, heartfelt and haunting love stories since Call Me By Your Name.

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Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Aug 23, 2022

A febrile relationship drama which plays on the traditional Brazilian concept of masculinity.

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