Cinema Crazed

2007

Rated: Unrated

Genre: Short Drama

Directed By: Alexandra Fisher

Running Time: 14 Minutes

Review by: Felix Vasquez Jr.

Review Date: 8/5/08

DESERT WEDDING

Often times in life in the midst of big plans and drastic changes, we tend to lose sight on aspects that are truly important like human relationships, love and the consideration that sometimes all we need is love. A strange series of events on the day of Marissa’s wedding leads her to come of age and discover that material possessions aren’t always what make the bonds of two people strong. Star Dayna Schaaf gives a great performance as the uptight and demanding Marissa who is staging a gaudy wedding for her and her husband Trey and basically driving everyone involved crazy making insane requests for the ceremony. When she asks her driver to step out from the limo and fetch her phone and accident renders her stranded she gets a lesson she might have definitely needed to learn.

While “Desert Wedding” could have easily been one of those short films that revolve around coincidences that are much too convenient for the main characters current predicaments, director Alexandra Fisher manages to successfully bring the film together as a touching and very sad allegory on the important things in this life and how we only go around once, so stressing the small things is simply a waste of time.

The short format makes for a very memorable interlude in the beginning of this woman's life, and may just help her regain her focus on what matters. Fisher’s direction is absolutely dazzling with the set piece of the desert road inadvertently turned in to a symbol of the Marissa character struggling to leave her responsibility behind or probably provide some companionship during someone’s last moments on Earth. “Desert Wedding” is a finely paced little drama helped by excellent performances from Schaaf who I can’t rave about enough, and Robert Hallak who is just absolutely gripping in his portrayal of a man that likely had so little, but likely left the Earth with so much. Could Marissa say the same by the end of the film?

It’s a great festival find if you ever catch it playing in a town near you, Alexandra Fisher’s “Desert Wedding” is a sad and enlightening drama about losing sight of what’s really important and realizing that you don't need to change your life to have it all.

For more information on "Desert Wedding," visit the official website.

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