Patrick Connolly's Desire Lines (2020) User Reviews

curiosity leads to ... boredom?

[jaccz · 1/10 · 5 April 2021]

Less entertaining than actually meditating. Guess im just not enlightened enough to enjoy this?

The woman's face at 50:35 was me the whole movie

at about halfway i realized nothing was gona happen the entire movie but unfortunately im too ocd to not finish a movie.

But i really wish i saw a review like this to save me 90mins. I coulda listened to a podcast and watched paint dry instead.

EDIT: PS. WTF THE MAIN CHARACTERS HEART-SHaPED NECK TATTOO CHANGES BETWEEN SCENES LOL sometimes its hollow other shots it has a peace sign in it .. how did no one notice that.

Uninteresting waste of time

[emiliano999 · 3/10 · 23 May 2021]

The only one who seems to have any idea of acting is the protagonist, everybody else seems like they are surprised to be put on front of a camara as a prank in a slumber party.

I liked the night time photography outdoors in the closing scene, whoever did it knows its craftmanship.

Great indie

[jakesofaer · 9/10 · 17 July 2021]

Great internal dialogue that keeps you both involved with the characters but also feeling as though you are outside watching their thought process as it happens. Raw no gloss handheld camerawork which supports the actors and script and that makes one want to go make movies right now. And then meditate.

False Guru? Me Too

[w-13871 · 9/10 · 9 June 2020]

This is an indie film named after an indie rock song and a slick synth soundtrack by LA band, Drinking Flowers. Is it a hipster movie? The cast is a completely mixed bag of mid-twenties to mid-thirty-somethings, the most magnetic being a traumatized African American Afghanistan veteran who has a cat named Chi Chi. There was a gentle nod to The Breakfast Club in round-robin conversation scene. This was the first time in a while I felt like I wasn't being mind-molested by Vice Media or burping up the remnants of Netflix "Content." DL is so dense with innuendo, humor and subtext that it's expertly and seamlessly zipped into a view that is at once unnerving and captivating. Passes the Bechdel Test in first 30 seconds; added bonus. The premise is so subtly imbued into the story that I wasn't exactly sure what was going on until the last scene. The dialogue, half internalized because the characters are MEDITATING, was actually handled super well. The leads are mesmerizing in their unfolding personality traits. The comic relief provided by the supporting cast is natural and nonchalant, while at other times their personalities are endearing, annoying or repulsive. What really shook me about Desire Lines is even though it is fiction, an independent with no-name actors and borrowed set locations, after I watched the film I had the feeling that I had been IN that life. Or that I had been part of the film. I believe this is due to the cameraman's (all handheld) handiwork and the editor. And the script. And the acting. Why do movies absorb like this? Also, I was fascinated watching a bold POC woman challenge a blue eyed guru, and see this friction through. Won't be surprised if this becomes the #MeToo sleeper hit of the year.

Fresh Narrative of Desire

[reiddmail · 9/10 · 10 March 2021]

Good to see a new California indie film! Great directing and acting. Standout performance from Camille Calvin!! I love all the close-up shooting that is used. Writing comes across as full of life and feeling, though the main action is sitting for meditation. I really recommend watching it!!