“Desert Son”–surviving

“Desert Son”

Surviving

Amos Lassen

When a boy is abandoned in the desert, he finds refuge with two orphans and they live in a mining town that has been abandoned. Their lives are a struggle as they commit crimes just to stay alive. Things seem to come to an end when a murder stays on their consciences,

This is a very gritty movie about Phillip, a teenager whose stepfather leaves him in the desert and he tries very hard to stay alive. He finally gets to the abandoned town where Jack and Lucy are and they invite him, albeit, reluctantly to stay. Soon something happens between Phillip and Lucy and Jack becomes jealous so Jack leads them back to civilization but crimes are committed along the way. Guilt becomes too much for them to bear and their bond falls apart.

This is a coming of age drama that is filled with angst and it is a haunting look at the dark side of teens. We have adolescents with no aims or goals and they are confused and befuddled. They form a very strange family and we see dysfunction reign. I wonder if this is a sign of the family to come when the concept of the nuclear family is dead.

This is a bold movie that is something between a drama and a thriller. It is tense but we do not know where the tension comes from and when it will peak. This is to the credit of James Mann and Brandon Nicholas. We get a very disturbing look at adolescence.