If you've ever watched a movie or television scene in which the camera zooms in, time is drawn down into slow motion, some important action takes place, and then time returns to to normal speed as the camera zooms back out again, you'll understand what's happening when things become intimate between the two main characters in Desert Hearts. The love scene here is not just a portion of the film during which a sexual encounter takes place. It's a full, genuine exploration of a piece of the story that is as beautifully told as any other part, and during which detail is brought close up, with time passing in increments that make it possible to carefully follow each moment as it unfolds.
While it begins with a jolt, followed by an additional nudge, the rest of the love scene in Desert Hearts is very gentle and sweet. However, there's no less tension in it for that. It's filled with anxious anticipation. Vivian Bell has spent the entire 35 years of her life prior completely buried in the closet and shut off from most of the rest of her emotional being by a combination of determination and decorum. Now she struggles between her fear of letting go and her need to be passionate and open with someone she can love and trust. Cay Rivvers, who is 25, knows what she's doing, and is on the verge of finally getting the woman she feels she's been waiting for all her life, has to find a way to mix her own eagerness and drive with that right combination of moving things forward and allowing Vivian a chance to catch up that will keep the whole thing from being derailed. It's thrilling.
In fact, there's enough tension for there to be room for a little humor at the beginning, to break it up a bit. You could say things start off a bit awkwardly in Vivian's hotel room, as she finds that what she thought was only going to be a conversation has suddenly become a confrontation of sorts. Vivian has been caught off guard to begin with, passing the time in her fuzzy, pink bathrobe, not having tidied her hair in her customary fashion. Cay's visit with her is uninvited and unexpected. Cay's behavior, and the reaction others have had to the little they knew (and much they assumed) about it, has unnerved Vivian enough already. By this point, nothing more has happened between them physically than a kiss in the rain, some days earlier, which Vivian thinks she would very much like to be able to dismiss. But Cay has insisted that Vivian let her in to talk about it. And Vivian, though completely unprepared, has made every effort to take some sort of high ground. In a moment of exasperation, Vivian steps around a corner for about half a minute, to pour herself a drink. She then turns back to discover Cay is completely naked, sitting in her bed. This situation isn't going to just go away. And now she's also having to face the fact that she doesn't necessarily want it to. Some of everybody's favorite lines of dialogue from the film follow:
Vivian: "I wouldn't know what to do."
Cay: "You can start by putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door."
Which she does, afterwards returning to stand a short distance from the bed, awkwardly looking away.
Vivian: "Well, that part went smoothly."
Cay: "So, take your hands out of your pockets and come here."
Which she does, making her way over to sit on the bed, awkwardly waiting to find out what happens next.
Vivian: "I'm not taking off my robe."
Cay: "Well, everybody draws the line somewhere."
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And so, with that endearing little exchange, the tone is set for everything that follows to be honest and sweet, because they begin with this simple way of Cay letting Vivian know things will be all right.
That doesn't mean, though, that the rest is suddenly easy for Vivian. Cay has to take the lead, as Vivian tries to figure out how to let herself respond. Cay, as it turns out, is a very attentive and patient lover. She draws Vivian in but doesn't trap her. Vivian is hesitant and uncertain. You can imagine her heart pounding as though she were teetering on the edge of a cliff, both fearful of falling and yet somehow still wanting to. She almost seems to step off a couple of times, but not quite. All the while, Cay's sensitivity and the easy pace she sets serve as ready reassurance.
It isn't too long before Vivian discovers she's not quite so committed to that robe of hers as she'd thought. But she still holds herself back, needing to pause a couple of times to collect herself - right up until Cay has moved things far enough along that Vivian seems to have arrived at some kind of limit to what she can handle. We can assume, though we don't actually see it, that things have now moved below the waist, and there's no pretending this is just some delicately sexy cuddling any more. This is probably as vulnerable as Vivian has ever felt in her life. And she could hardly be more exposed right then than to be in the full, close-up view of another woman who's in direct contact, making her feel sensations she's never felt before. Vivian's composure flags enough when Cay moves back up to look into her eyes that Vivian, in brief embarrassment, tries to hide her face a little behind her hand. But this may actually be the best thing that could've happened. In quickly recovering herself and deciding to apologize for almost shutting Cay out, Vivian finally discovers she's able let go of her need to shield herself from what's happening. For the first time, she now really looks into Cay's eyes. This is her turning point from telling herself, "Okay, maybe I can allow this to go on and see what happens," to, "I want this." From here on, she more actively takes part, even rolling Cay over so that Vivian no longer lies passively underneath.
When Cay turns over, we catch a glimpse of a beautiful little smile on her face, as she realizes she's finally getting the woman she loves - not just her reluctant consent and her unsteadily compliant body, but her fully willing heart and at last unlocked sensuality. After so many pent up years, it seems to take very little, by then, for Vivian to tip over the edge. And when she does, she discovers she isn't lost or hurt by falling. Rather than the long drop and painful impact she might have expected, she finds a much shorter distance than she could ever have imagined between where she once stood in fear and the soft, comforting embrace into which she's now landed. In the pause that follows, the way Cay touches Vivian seems to convey her understanding of Vivian's feelings. They then continue to make love, with the fade to black that ends the scene slow enough for the glow of the moment to really satisfyingly linger.
Insightful and revealing, tenderly played out, quietly erotic - the artistry of this scene stands apart from those of other films. That it's called a classic is not just a fine compliment. It's an honor it richly deserves.
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