A Desert
Dark Sky Films | Release Date: May 2, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The Daily BeastNick SchagerJun 10, 2024
It’s a nightmare that burrows under one’s skin like a virus (or a curse), and it heralds its creator as a bracing new genre-filmmaking voice. Read full review
80
EmpireJamie GrahamNov 25, 2025
Dreams and nightmares, innocence and experience, civilisation and nature… an elegiac horror/neo-noir debut that captures a snapshot of America’s lost soul. Director Joshua Erkman is one to watch. Read full review
80
Film ThreatBobby LePireMay 2, 2025
A Desert is a solid neo-noir with excellent visuals, good characterizations, and fantastic acting. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoJun 24, 2024
The film’s wild ending will determine whether or not a viewer enjoys the film. But rather than trying to understand exactly what it means, you’re better off appreciating it like one of Alex’s photos. Read full review
70
Screen RantNick BythrowMay 2, 2025
A Desert is the scariest movie I've seen all year. Read full review
70
The New York TimesCalum MarshMay 2, 2025
Lynch is a difficult influence to wield responsibly, yet Erkman keeps it largely under control: A Desert, if at times too ambitious, certainly feels distinct. Read full review
70
ColliderChase HutchinsonJun 10, 2024
Along with his co-writer Bossi Baker, Erkman has made a distinctly eerie and sinister debut that succeeds at sneaking into the depths of your subconscious. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinNov 18, 2025
Director Joshua Erkman’s feature debut manages to deliver an impressively creepy horror exercise that’s also a bit of a send-up of horror conventions. Read full review
58
The Film StageChristian GallichioMay 2, 2025
While the ending––a weird collage that attempts to recontextualize the story that came before it––will probably be the main talking point, it’s also the least-interesting component of Erkman’s feature. Instead, it’s the bifurcated structure that lends itself to a compelling, albeit frustrating narrative. Read full review
50
VarietyDennis HarveyMay 2, 2025
A Desert aims for the enigmatic, supernaturally-tinged mystery of something like Lynch’s “Lost Highway,” but in the end lacks the tension and atmosphere to pull that tricky gambit off. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsMay 2, 2025
Director Joshua Erkman shows promise throughout “A Desert,” his first feature, but his movie’s unyielding scenario, co-written with Bossi Baker, makes it hard to want to hang around while thinly drawn characters vaguely establish the movie’s themes. Read full review
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