Desert Bloom (1986) User Reviews

Underrated drama about coming of age in 50's Vegas

[Wuchakk · 8/10 · 10 April 2013]

"Desert Bloom" (1986) is an excellent and underrated coming-of-age drama about a semi-dysfunctional family living in Las Vegas in the early 50s. The military is conducting atomic bomb testing nearby. The story mostly focuses on 13 year-old Rose (Annabeth Gish) who struggles with her relationship with her stepfather, Jack (Jon Voight). Jack suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. Her mother, Lily (JoBeth Williams), is the pillar of the family that keeps them together and hopeful. When Lily's sexpot sister, Starr (Ellen Barkin), visits it's both a blessing and a curse.

The film grabbed my attention from the get-go, which is a good sign, and sustained it till the end. The first two acts are solid drama that build up to the more volatile final act.

Most families function satisfactorily from day to day with an undercurrent of some frustration or animosity, which leads to the occasional explosion of emotions. This is what we see in "Desert Bloom," and it's a potent explosion.

The acting is stellar, by the way. Voight's one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema and he's just so believable here. Williams, Barkin and Gish as well.

Roger Ebert inexplicably complained that the film is about two many things, but I never got this feeling for a second. Yes, the story juggles quite a few issues -- coming-of-age, atomic bomb testing, mental disorders, child abuse, alcoholism and inappropriate relations -- but they all gel together for a cohesive whole.

With all these elements the film is rich with gems to mine. Here are three that I'd like to mention:

• The balding, pudgy neighbor who is boldly willing to stand up for an abused child.

• The solid mother who keeps her composure at all times, until she catches wind of something sinister. At that point, watch out! (But notice what she does after the explosion).

• The ending's emphasis on repentance, forgiveness and redemption. It's so effective it's a mite tear-inducing.

As far as the dramatic vibe goes, "Desert Bloom" is reminiscent of films like "Jacknife" (1989) and "Blue Sky" (1991). It's on par with the former and better than the latter.

The film was shot in Vegas & Tucson and runs 105 minutes.

GRADE: A-

Oscar-worthy acting by Jon Voight; good story

[bobbobwhite · 8/10 · 6 February 2008]

This film story initially appeared to be a more or less typical coming of age story of a teenage girl, set in the '50's at the height of the atomic bomb testing age in the desert southwest, but ended up being a sad and multi-faceted story of unrealized potential, chronic physical pain, alcoholism, paranoia, abuse, spousal enabling, ruined family potential, and of a daughter's loss of love and trust in her father due to the results of his very human and typical response to great pain....self medication by alcohol. That, plus another very typical male response by her father to excessive temptation by his wife's sister who, without a care for the family unit, threw her many sexual charms at her drunk brother in law. Weak as he was in all ways he still responded, to great familial damage. Just too many human flaws and life burdens for any family to survive intact, and this one was no exception.

There are some outstanding acting performances in history that I think have gone outrageously unrewarded by Oscar. A few are the 1956 portrayal of Vincent van Gogh by Kirk Douglas in Lust For Life, Karen Black in Five Easy Pieces, Kevin Kline in Sophie's Choice, Tim Roth in Rob Roy, and Jon Voight in this film. When Voight was on screen, I could not see anyone else. That defines acting greatness, and was the case with the other performances stated. And, I find it very interesting that 4 of these 5 roles demonstrated an obvious form and level of mental illness. Maybe all of them did. Interesting point.

If you have ever known anyone who was forced to live with great chronic pain you may better understand the quality of Voight's performance, his very obvious pain resulting from severe WWII wounds that he knew would dog him mean every day of his tortured life. I knew someone with that great pain, and Voight's performance was so spot on I could not believe that someone without that pain could portray it so realistically.

You want to see truly great acting? Do yourself a favor and see Jon Voight in this film and get the rest of the well made story as a bonus.

Powerful coming-of-age story

[MartianOctocretr5 · 8/10 · 22 February 2007]

Intensely emotional, so much so, that it's hard to watch in places. Jon Voight's performance of a WWII veteran tortured and twisted mentally by his war experiences is intimidating, even volatile.

The story is set in the '50's, at a time when the U.S. is testing nuclear weapons at a base north of Las Vegas. Jack Chismore (Voight), the veteran, and his family live in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas. There are parallel stories, weaving the news of the nuclear technology around the conflicts of Chismore's mental cruelty and abusive behavior to his family; in particular, his coming-of-age daughter Rose (Annabeth Gish). Gish is sensational in this role; she holds her own in verbal sparring with the always skillful Jon Voight. You really feel her frustration, and love to hate Chismore. The latter, though, slowly becomes more sympathetic as you understand his suffering more.

Coming-of-age stories have a few standard plot lines, but they're handled tenderly and resist exploitation here. Rose has a boy friend, and she's learning the facts of not only her own personal life, but the ugly and frightening facts of the world simultaneously.

The final image is riveting; in a single shot, the twin points of loss of innocence--Rose's, as well the world's--are melded together brilliantly with a single camera shot. A fine movie with a powerful theme.

Fifties Americana, in Nevada

[Chris_Middlebrow · 14 March 2009]

Desert Bloom (1986), not to be confused with Desert Hearts released in the U.S. the same year, stars Annabeth Gish as an adolescent girl with new eyeglasses and spelling bee skills. The film opens in Las Vegas in December 1950. Gish's stepfather, played by Jon Voight, is a World War II veteran who has a gas station, the last fill-up opportunity on the edge of town before the highway enters the Nevada desert. On his better days, he has a yen for self-education, brain teasers, and the news and intellectual discourse of the world. On his worse days, he has combat flashbacks, leading to excessive drinking and flares of temper. Gish's mother, played by JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill), is full of life-guidance aphorisms, but has a flaw herself in the form of an apparent past of occasional compulsive gambling. There are two little sisters, plus a glamour-queen aunt, played by Ellen Barkin (The Diner; The Big Easy), who comes to live with the family. The other significant roles are Allen Garfield (The Candidate; The Conversation) as a family friend, I think the father of one of Gish's female classmates, and Jay Underwood, an adolescent male. The movie plot basically plays out some of the discord at which the above hints.

This movie is fifties Americana, almost as if one had entered a time machine back into that decade. Voight is at a career peak that carried over from his Oscar-nomination performance the preceding year in Runaway Train (1985). Williams magnifies what already is a strong supporting performance with the singing talents we discover in a scene at the piano (making the assumption it's really her voice). Garfield is subtly good, as usual. I respectfully disagree with Desert Bloom's lack of critical acclaim and low IMDb viewer ratings.

Mushroom cloud nostalgia

[shrine-2 · 6/10 · 10 January 2000]

The mushroom cloud at the end of "Desert Bloom" carries a hypnotic power like nothing else in this movie. It takes you by surprise, because not much of what goes before it holds you. The strange beauty of that atomic bomb going off is caught in the eye of Rose, a teenager struggling to make sense out of her relationship with her abusive stepfather. She cannot figure where she stands with him. One moment he's affectionate and protective, the next moment he's threatening and abusive. It makes her sullen and morose, and if it were not for her fun-loving Aunt Starr (Ellen Barkin), she would probably have run away back to the arms of her loving grandmother. Instead she learns how to cope with his inconsistencies and violence; and when Annabelle Gish looks out onto the lit horizon, you see a look of fearlessness in her eyes, as if to tell us that Rose has finally learned how to conquer her fears, and has learned how to blossom even in the most trying desert heat. Gish's performance is unpretentious; and her smile lights up the screen. But it's too little to keep us fully interested in the story, and most of the talented cast (Jon Voight, Jo Beth Williams) strains to do something with it. Allan Garfield is the only one who makes a mark; he's slimmer and more generous than he has been in the past. Playing a concerned neighbor, Garfield makes you wonder if a pod had fallen from the sky and reinvented him.

slice of life family drama has wider implications

[mjneu59 · 6/10 · 13 November 2010]

A young girl comes of age as the world itself enters a new era in this introspective period piece, set in suburban Las Vegas on the eve of the first atomic bomb tests. The film is a family crisis melodrama, seen from the sharp-eyed perspective of a shy teenager just receiving her first pair of glasses (Annabeth Gish, in an admirable debut performance). As the rifts in her family are brought into sudden focus she gains a traumatic understanding of the forces that shape adulthood. It's a curiously lopsided drama, with moments of unaffected sensitivity alongside scenes of outright hysteria, but altogether the film presents a splendid, nostalgic evocation of the awkward passage of adolescence.

Heartbreaking Triumph

[rbvs · 9/10 · 14 December 2003]

A powerful and heartbreaking portrayal of what it is like to walk on egg shells in a household inhabited by an alcoholic husband and father.

The story deftly renders the awkward and secretive moral climate around alcohol, sex, and infidelity in post- WWII America. Unflinching in his lack of sensitivity, John Voight nonetheless succeeds in winning a kind of sad sympathy for his post-combat nightmares and his tortured reality. Jo Beth Williams, Annabeth Gish, and Ellen Barkin give outstandingly moving performances that could only be described as remarkable. John Garfield gives a subtle and important performance in a wonderful supporting roll.

This film was one of those sleepers that came out of left field, and knocked me down! It is a noteworthy American film, tragic, touching, and ultimately triumphant. It is truly unforgettable.

The heat may cause sweat in the desert, but on screen, it's dry and frigid.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 30 May 2022]

There's a lot of potential for a good film in the script of this slice of life drama surrounding a family in the Las Vegas area during the height of the Korean war and the situations involving mom JoBeth Williams second husband, John Voight, who was something from post traumatic stress disorder from the second world war. He's basically a decent guy, but to deal with his pain he drinks too much and that leads to troubles that are not easy to resolve and that creates conflict with the oldest of his stepdaughters, Annabeth Gish.

Performances are good and the characters are for the most part very interesting, particularly the aunt played by a young Ellen Barkin. The character played by Voight certainly could have been a lot rougher, and he isn't abusive to the point of being hateful although a slapping scene from him towards Gish is a bit hard to watch.

A good use of music and references to trends involving nuclear bomb raid practices really gives good detail to the era. But the problem I felt was that the film jumped in without real detail and it wasn't until 15 minutes into the movie where everything began to come together. Perhaps if that point had started the film, it might have had a better narrative as a whole rather than feeling badly structured. An interesting period drama nonetheless with more good aspects than bad.

Haunting, disturbing and powerful.

[PBXBear · 10/10 · 23 June 2001]

Though some would beg to differ, Desert Bloom is one of the most powerful movies and stories of our time. It's a tale of a dysfunctional family in the 1950's when it was uncommon for the public to see the truth behind closed doors. An amazing script and creative camera angles and lighting makes this movie worth seeing a few times before you can fully understand it's beauty.

Annabeth Gish in her breakout/breakthrough roll deserved a supporting actress nomination. Unfortunately, in 1986 it was uncommon for a young actor to receive such a nomination. Ms. Gish is an under rated actress who is worthy of powerful rolls and casting in present day.

The chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Annabeth Gish's is amazing as well as JoBeth William's portrayal of a truth-blind housewife. Jon Voight, is well -- Jon Voight -- consistant and erie.

Purposeless.

[gridoon · 4/10 · 28 September 1999]

This movie will really give you better understanding of such terms as "purposeless" and "pointless". It's simply a series of episodes, which never add up to anything. The only thing one can recommend about this familiar drama (which still doesn't make it worthwhile) is the solid acting: Barkin's performance stands out.

Unappreciated

[tupungato · 9/10 · 23 February 2009]

Desert Bloom belongs on a list of the ten most underrated movies of the last thirty years. An original setting -- no Rock and Roll pioneers, professional sports heroes, or other aspect of popular culture in this look at 1950's life in the U.S. -- excellent acting; and a believable, thought-provoking story; Desert Bloom has much to hold a viewer's interest.

I realize that Desert Bloom, a story about common people and mostly devoid of action, may not appeal to the many people who look to movies for diversion and entertainment. For the person who enjoys films that cause one to reflect and to experience more than a thrill, however, Desert Bloom will probably make him feel that he has chosen a very meaningful way to spend two hours.

While Jon Voight, as a rigid and occasionally explosive World War II veteran, gives a performance that rivals any of his other roles, and Jo Beth Williams, as his unfailingly optimistic and codependent wife, portrays her part convincingly, the work of Annabelle Gish leaves the most profound impression. The oldest daughter in a dysfunctional family (Voight and Williams as her troubled parents), Gish tells the story of her teenage years in retrospect as a forty-something adult.

Speaking with the firmness and controlled confidence of someone who has had to endure, Rose (Gisch) indicates that she has not only survived her father's alcoholism and abuse, but also that the quality of her life has progressed well beyond the one afforded by her parents' pathetic relationship. More importantly, though, Rose makes the viewer aware that at a time when the U.S. military was developing weapons powerful enough to devastate any foe, some children were feeling nearly powerless in their own homes in the face of real threats to their safety.

An excellent period piece about the effects of PTSD

[infopeoplepeace · 10/10 · 6 June 2018]

An excellent movie about the devasting effects that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has on a familiy in Las Vegas, Nevada in late 1950 and early 1951.

Both newcomer Annabeth Gish (as young Rose) and John Voight (as her suffering stepfather) are excellent in this heartfelt coming-of-age story.

Emotionally it 's hard to watch sometimes, but the movie feels true to its heart and it gives an interesting look at a family and a small community caught up in a turbulent time with the Korean war and testing of the A-bomb right outside their doorsteps.

A little gem this one.

Great Slice of Life Movie

[Gloucester Man · 7 August 2002]

I thought this was a great period piece and a great slice of life movie. The early atomic era was a haunting time and I thought this movie really captured it. I really felt like I was back in the early Fifties. Great performances by the whole cast. We see Annabeth Gish before she did Mystic Pizza.

Good 1950s Period Piece

[RocketInNYC · 10/10 · 2 May 2000]

I really like this movie... it is a great period piece of the 1950s. I think people forget that a period piece doesn't have to be of some century-ago. The acting is excellent all-around, although the voice-overs are a bit much.

Brilliantly Transports You to Las Vegas in 1950, Amidst the Cold War and Atomic Age

[richievee · 10/10 · 3 June 2019]

This film is brilliant throughout, with never a false step. It tells of a realistically dysfunctional family in 1950 Las Vegas, living under the constant threat of a Cold War atomic blast, whether from a deliberate attack by the Soviet Union or from "friendly fire" gone wrong. Jon Voight is excellent, showing an amazing range of emotions, all of them utterly convincing. In fact, every person in the large cast, from lead to background extra, is perfect for the role. Even the children are believable, and that is a cinematic rarity. The viewer is taken back to 1950 and feels a part of that time period. Props and settings are spot-on. Voight plays Jack Chismore, a WWII combat veteran suffering from what we would now call PTSD. Seeking solace, he turns to the bottle, which turns him into an abusive husband and step-father. Annabeth Gish is the main character, thirteen-year-old Rose Chismore, and she brings her role to life in every frame. Accolades also go to JoBeth Williams as Jack's wife, Lily, and Ellen Barkin as her younger sister, a fun-loving glamorous playgirl named Starr. Even the boy next door, played by Jay Underwood, is right on target and never posturing for the camera. I cannot imagine how this film could possibly be improved, which I'm sure means director Eugene Corr did a superlative job. He also co-wrote the marvelous script with Linda Remy.

Wonderful film.

[WendyOh! · 3 July 2001]

Very underrated 1950's story, basically about a messed up family. But boy oh boy are they messed up. Featuring outstanding performances by Ellen Barkin and Jon Voight, and nearly stolen by newcomer Annabeth Gish, this is a haunting provocative story of a family in crisis, just as the nation was in crisis. Beautifully done.

Exceptional story of America 1950 with desire and pain.

[pbeno-49876 · 8/10 · 3 May 2020]

I never knew of this movie til recently picking up a copy in a second hand store. What an excellent show all the way around, engaging story telling about humanity in such an honest way and never exceeds what is necessary. The acting is great! I can't say I remember seeing a lot of Jon Voight movies but, man, he was good in this character. And while I have plenty of favorite coming of age movies about boys (which I can relate to as well) I really appreciated this from the older daughter's perspective. And to think this was this actress' first role. Her expressions so subtly suited every scene. The cast is all very good even down the most minor of roles. And visually this had a great look for the place and time. A favorite scene is when Rose is at the party and also provides some breathing space and simple joy that the writer did good too include. I agree with other reviews that is must have been overlooked and underrated.

A powerful movie about dysfunction in a family

[debdshaw60 · 10/10 · 24 May 2019]

Jon Voight gives a masterful performance about a WW2 vet with PTSD and the havoc he wreaks on his family. Jobeth Williams is fantastic and the enabling mother who turns a blind eye to the increasing madness of her husband and it's effect on her eldest daughter.

Haunting and difficult to watch at times, this is a must see!

Sleeper

[dougdoepke · 28 February 2011]

Sensitively told coming-of-age film set against Las Vegas and the early years of atomic testing. Rose (Annabeth Gish) is thirteen and very much wants to connect with stepdad Jack (Jon Voight), an alcoholic WWII veteran still possessed by the demons of combat. Trouble is, she's operating on one track, while he's operating on two, such that just when they seem at last to converge, he goes off on a delusionary binge. Movie is notable for the exceptionally fine performances of these two actors. Gish, tottering atop two gawky legs and peering out from the cosmetic curse of horned-rim glasses, is the very real, aching embodiment of adolescent angst. Hers has to be one of the finest, least mannered renderings of teen-age yearning and self-doubt in many, many years, and made even me, a hardened old curmudgeon, feel kindly toward the hopelessly pubescent. Voight's character is less sympathetic and more complex. Victimized by the evils of war and beset by alcohol and impotence, he's having trouble with his masculinity in a house full of women. He wants to fulflill a positive role for his wife and stepdaughters, but the inner turmoil keeps erupting unpredictably.You want Jack and Rose to connect, to heal one another's emotional wounds, but circumstance is against them.

Movie leaves off on suitably ambiguous note as atomic test parallels emotional family blowup. We know time will take care of Rose's problems, but what of Jack. Film is not so much about dysfunction as it is about adolescence and the walking wounds of war, such that you'll remember the characters long after the various plot complications have subsided. What a fine piece of non-commercial movie making this is thanks to Sundance Productions and writer-director Eugene Corr. Their work along with that of the entire cast shows once again why "the obscure little movie with something to say" continues to be one of our finest film traditions.

Gish is wonderful as a teen coming of age in a very dysfunctional household

[bettycjung · 9 December 2017]

12/5/17. This is a well-done movie of how a young teen (Gish) learns about life while being part of a dysfunctional family. Gish portrays a somewhat nerdy girl trying to make sense of who she is while dealing with an alcoholic stepfather (Voight) who physically abuses her and puts the moves on her glamorous aunt who comes to live with them as she goes through a divorce. When her somewhat neglectful mother discovers this and throws out her sister, Gish's character is forced to make decisions no young teen should have to make. Definitely catch this one!