A blockbuster debut feature from director Donna Deitch, this "refreshingly lively and poignant" (The Hollywood Reporter) drama, written for the screen by Natalie Cooper, is based on Jane Rule's cult classic novel DESERT OF THE HEART - a soulful portrayal of relationships between women. With standout performances from Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau, this compelling film is "luminous, tender and memorable" (Update).

Leaving behind a loveless 12-year marriage, stessed-out and fed-up university professor Vivian Bell (Shaver) travels to Reno, Nevada, in search of new adventures. And when wild-card casino cash-girl Cay Rivvers (Charbonneau) takes a shine to her ... it changes her life. But as Vivian succumbs to Cay's spell of carefree living, she wonders whether a mismatched pair of hearts could ever become two of a kind in a high-stakes game of love.

Filmed entirely on location in Reno, the film included 100-150 local residents who were recruited as extras and handpicked by Deitch.

Deitch endured a two-year long fundraising effort to finance the film, which included selling her home and being hypnotized to improve her public speaking skills.

Amazon.com: When college professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives in Reno in 1959 to get a quickie divorce, the last thing on her mind is romance. A prim intellectual, crippled by a sterile marriage ("We're a professional couple") and hiding behind her education, she moves into a ranch belonging to Frances Parker (Audra Lindley) and tries to keep to herself. But Parker's beautiful, sassy tomboy of a stepdaughter proves to be quite a distraction, and a love affair slowly blossoms. Cay (Patricia Charbonneau) refuses to be bound by convention or by expectations of how a nice girl should behave, and her devil-may-care attitude both attracts and terrifies the nervous professor.

Shaver is terrific as Vivian, and the slow thawing of her character is beautifully paced--you can feel the tension break when she finally lets down her guard. Another strong performance comes from Audra Lindley as Frances. She's a tough old bird with a drinking problem, but Lindley keeps the character from descending into stereotype, and she gives full rein to the tragic side of this lonely woman, especially as she struggles with her reaction to the developing relationship between Cay and Vivian.

There are scenes in Desert Hearts that would be painfully clichéd if they appeared in a heterosexual romance, and even here they only just escape that fate--relying a little too much on significant glances and lines that just don't sound like real conversation. Nevertheless, first-time director Deitch breathes new life into a standard straight-arrow-meets-free-spirit plot, and steadfastly refuses to turn this love story into an "issues movie." Add to that a strong feel for the period and a soundtrack filled with the likes of Patsy Cline and Gene Vincent, and the result is a warm, well-acted film that packs a real emotional punch. --Simon Leake