Gerry

"The desert can be a silent world."

2002 1h 43m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 368

DramaAdventureMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two friends named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble.

“The desert can be a silent world.”

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Cast

Casey Affleck
Gerry
Matt Damon
Gerry

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Gus Van Sant, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck
Languages: English
Countries: Argentina, Switzerland, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 7% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Argentina, Switzerland, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Harris Savides. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Arvo Pärt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gus Van Sant shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Casey Affleck and Matt Damon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gus Van Sant directs. Harris Savides behind the camera. Arvo Pärt scores. Gus Van Sant cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Argentina, Switzerland, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 7% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 24 years ago.
4International production across 3 countries: Argentina, Switzerland, United States of America.
5Directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Harris Savides. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Arvo Pärt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Gus Van Sant shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Casey Affleck and Matt Damon carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The desert can be a silent world.".
10IMDB entry: tt0302674 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "friendship", "hiking", "highway", "wilderness".

The technical file

Cinematography: Harris Savides
Original score: Arvo Pärt
Editing: Gus Van Sant
Makeup / hair: Christian Burgoyne
Sound: Todd Beckett
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,500,000
Box office: $255,000
Return: 7% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Gerry (2002)

Also by

Gus Van Sant

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-05-18
★ 2/10
A total BORE about being lost in the desert, but Worthwhile for a few reasons "Gerry" (2002) is a film by Gus Van Sant, the director of "Good Will Hunting" and "Elephant." It stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as two friends who get lost in the desert; they spend the entire film just walking around the beautiful parched landscapes trying to find a way out. As a captivating piece of cinema, "Gerry" is a TOTAL failure. I say this without any reservation because my definition of a good film is one that simply maintains your interest. If the film fails to capture your interest, that is, it bores you, causes your thoughts to wander, puts you to sleep, etc. THEN IT'S NOT A GOOD FILM. Yet, even though this is true, I find there are a number of reasons why "Gerry" is a worthwhile piece of cinema: 1. It gives a good laugh. Although it's a serious "story" and by no means a comedy, I found myself uproariously laughing on quite a few occasions. Why? I don't know, perhaps because I can't believe someone would actually blow the money ($3.5 million) on making such a "film" and actually think people would like it (well, beyond pretentious art-geeks). Also there are several laugh-inducing sequences, albeit unintentional, like the absurdly overlong CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH scene. 2. It makes for a great joke movie. What I mean is, you can tell a friend or family member what a great movie you have for them to watch (do a lot of raving) and put "Gerry" in; then just kick back and wait for their inevitable negative reaction (e.g. "This movie's a piece of sh", etc.). In most cases it will only take between 15 and 20 minutes, and certainly no longer than 35-40 minutes, unless it's someone who has a romantic interest in you and doesn't want to hurt your feelings. 3. If, like me, you enjoy watching beautiful landscapes, in this case desert landscapes filmed in America (Utah & Southern Cal) and Argentina, then "Gerry" is a decent flick in which to kick back. Especially if you just want to relax and not have to THINK. The ambient piano/violin score nicely enhances the relaxing mood. 4. It is a great sleep-aid. Seriously, if you're having trouble sleeping, pop in "Gerry" and it'll send you straight to la-la land. I'm serious here, the first time I watched it I was ready to fall asleep after a mere 20 minutes, although I ended up lasting about a half hour. Because of this, it took me FOUR intervals to complete the film (and, yes, it put me to sleep each time). Just so you know, the movie is titled "Gerry" because the two guys constantly refer to each other as "Gerry," a friendly nickname meaning "loser" or "screw-up." Although the film itself is a bore I do enjoy the debates over its probable meaning, e.g. life itself is a desert and the foolhardy side of your psyche (that is, your “id” or “flesh”) must perish in order for you to survive and thrive. By the way, the Affleck character fits the name "Gerry" to a 'T.' You gotta listen REAL close when he speaks because he just sort of mumbles his lines (what few there are). BOTTOM LINE: Although "Gerry" is an abysmal failure as far as captivating cinema goes, it's worthwhile for the four reasons noted above, plus it’s interesting to interpret, hence my 2-Star rating. I suppose "Gerry" can be respected for brazenly rejecting EVERY cinematic convention, but that’s more stupefying than bold. Which prompts me to wonder: Maybe Gus Van Sant is pulling the ultimate Gerry on us… and we're all Gerrys because we FELL for it! The film runs 1 hour and 43 minutes and is at least an hour overlong. Several tedious scenes are about ten times longer than they need to be. I wish I were kidding. They’re laughable. GRADE: D-

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