Desierto

"A chase where only the strongest survive."

2015 1h 28m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 404

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A group of Mexican emigrants attempts to cross the Mexican-US border. What begins as a hopeful journey becomes a harrowing, bloody and primal fight for survival when a deranged, rifle-toting vigilante and his loyal Belgian Malinois dog chase the group of unarmed men and women through the treacherous borderland. In the harsh, unforgiving desert terrain, the odds are stacked firmly against them as they discover there’s nowhere to hide from the unrelenting, merciless killer.

“A chase where only the strongest survive.”

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Where to watch · US

Lionsgate+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Gael García Bernal
Moises
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Sam
Diego Cataño
Mechas
Marco Pérez
Lobo
Alondra Hidalgo
Adela
Óscar Flores Guerrero
Ramiro
David Lorenzo
Ulysse
Lew Temple
Border Patrol

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jonás Cuarón
Writers: Jonás Cuarón, Mateo García Elizondo
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: Mexico, France, 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Mexico, France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jonás Cuarón, shot by Damián García. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Diego Cataño carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A chase where only the strongest survive.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jonás Cuarón directs. Damián García behind the camera. Jonás Cuarón cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Mexico, France, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 11 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 3 countries: Mexico, France, United States of America.
5Directed by Jonás Cuarón, shot by Damián García. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Jonás Cuarón shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Diego Cataño carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A chase where only the strongest survive.".
9IMDB entry: tt3147312 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Damián García
Editing: Jonás Cuarón
Production design: Alejandro García
Costume design: Andrea Manuel
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Box office: $4,924,990
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Desierto (2015)

Also by

Jonás Cuarón

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Daddie02017-02-25
★ 6/10
This is one of those films that takes some time and consideration to fully assess. One one level, it's a straight-forward action/thriller with a unique and interesting setting. Heroes and antiheroes pervade as we are plunged into what is for most of us a new experience and reality. Of course, one that is fully fictionalized. If you can get the emotional distance to view it as such, the film works fairly well, even though it follows a fairly predictable narrative arc that we have seen in many other contexts. (Boy meets cat, boy saves cat, boy better save cat again and again and again, etc.) On another level this film serves as a none-too-subtle political and terse philosophical commentary about current disagreements within the United States of America and her southern bordering nation. In this aspect the film uses all the finesse of a sledgehammer meeting a mosquito, with thinly developed two-dimensional characters that later on still seem to betray themselves far too quickly. In this aspect the film seems to fail in changing minds (if expected to engage the "other") or succeed in reinforcing biases (if expected to create our oh-so-delightful echo chambers). I can imagine this film really working well in a different time and place, but in our current historical context--for which it was undoubtedly developed and funded--it just doesn't work all that well. My advice: watch if you can lay down your ideologies, sink into the experience and enjoy it as an action/thriller. If you can't do that you will likely find yourselves aggravated by the experience no matter where you fall on the ideological spectrum. (3/5)
swiewior2026-08-17
★ 2/10
What a ridiculous, childish and unrealistic plot. Some angry alcoholic farmer randomly shoots to illegal immigrants crossing abandonded (?) MX-US border for no other reason than just to kill them with infinite ammo in one magazine and eagle-like eyesight in the beginning to near-blind precision in the end of the show. Random shooters have better plots than this. Eventually everyone is dead except "a couple" that miraculously survives, crashes stolen car in the stupidest possible way, eventually finally injures freak farmer, takes his gun but doesn't kill him... Why making movies like this? Even 5yo won't make any sense of it.