Review of Gerry (2002) by John R — 11 May 2004

Gerry (2002) ? Matt Damon and Casey Affleck portray two friends on a desert day-trip. They get lost and slowly begin to unravel. A desert is a big place. A frightened mind, loose from its moorings, has a lot of room to freak. While watching this film, I felt like I accidentally stumbled into someone's nightmare. By the time this movie came to an end, I wasn't sure I was going to make it back out.

Fascinating music, crunching dirt, wind noise in every variety, and (increasingly) the sounds of growing despair combined to genuinely haunt me, aided by lots of clever lateral camera movements, long loop-like film sequences, and breath-taking time-lapse cinematography. The screenplay, perfectly in synch, was co-written by Gus Van Sant (Elephant), Damon, and Affleck as the filming progressed.