Desert Hearts

Donna Deitch’s classic of lesbian cinema is one of the greatest love stories of all time. The year is 1959 and Professor Vivian Bell has arrived in Reno, Nevada for a divorce. There she meets Cay Rivers, a backwards-driving, jean short-wearing sculptor/casino employee who is brazenly herself. These two opposing forces circle around each other, falling in lust and love, Cay daring Vivian to take a risk for something more.

Nearly four decades since its release in April 1986, join us in revisiting a film that was ahead of its time and beyond time. From an overwhelming kiss in the rain to one of the best sex scenes ever put on film, Desert Hearts redefined what queer women could expect from our movies. The romance crackles with possibility, but its love story goes beyond this central pair—it’s also about the bonds of friendship, the challenge of family, and the importance of embracing the entirety of oneself.