Brazil/2021—directed by Aly Muritiba | 120 min.

Daniel (Antonio Saboia), a teacher at a police academy in southern Brazil, is placed on unpaid leave because of a violent incident that’s dominating the news. The only thing holding him together is his online romance with Sara; though Daniel has yet to meet her in person, Sara’s sudden, unexplained disappearance is more than Daniel can bear.

After driving 2,000 miles across Brazil to find her, he posts Sara’s picture all over her small town, yet no one recognizes her—until a mysterious phone call sets him on a journey of the heart that will change both Sara and Daniel forever.

The remarkably involving Private Desert is both a swooning, suspenseful, sun-baked romance and a triumphant affirmation of love and commitment in an era when empathy seems imperiled everywhere. Brazil’s official submission for Best International Feature, 94th Academy Awards®. In Portuguese with English subtitles.  

“Achingly beautiful and incredibly erotic.” -Manuel Betancourt, Variety