The human emotion can be one of the most cathartically fulfilling or the most deeply heartbreaking. Watching individuals weave in and out of each other, emotions moments away from igniting, can work to create an accelerating audience experience. With Catching Dust, Stuart Gatt crafts a narrative tale around the explosive power of human emotion, constantly teetering on the point of no return. His examination of two couples in the Texas desert works like the potential combustion of chemicals that should never be mixed, leaving each character’s form of isolation broken and forever changed.
Gorgeous Isolation
Catching Dust opens on the vast mountainous landscape the film will be set within. It is as beautiful as it is empty, the desolate landscape a gorgeously ominous indication of the isolation it provides. With each new view of the surrounding area, the sun sets deeper in the sky, Catching Dust capturing the beauty in both the light and the dark. As it settles on a trailer and a small home, it is not only the first sign of life but the first mystery as a flash of light and a gunshot rips through the silence and growing darkness. It is shocking how loud the shot is in the silence of the Texan desert, instantly grabbing your attention and demanding you stay along for the ride.
Catching Dust moves quickly from its opening, introducing Geena (Erin Moriarty), a young housewife with a talent and passion for art. You can see the passion in the film’s close-up shots as she sketches on the few sheets of paper in front of her. The silence has returned, the inside of the trailer matching the tranquility outside. The film does not wait long before cutting this tranquility, Geena slowly hiding her drawings as her husband and unspoken tension, enter the trailer. Much of the relationship between Clyde (Jai Courtney) and Geena is shown through the motions and reinforced by their dialogue. There is an uneasy feeling in their interactions, one that is only further complicated with the arrival of Andy (Ryan Corr) and Amaya (Dina Shihabi). A pair of New Yorkers looking for the perfect means to get away and reset their own relationship, their arrival is met with mixed emotions as the isolation Geena and Clyde have lived in is shattered.
Geena is thrilled at their arrival, her desire and need for life outside of the desert and the trailer a sense of hope in the newcomers. For Clyde, Andy and Amaya are a threat to his way of life and the future he has planned for him and Geena. Conflicts between the two couples immediately rise, introducing a rollercoaster ride of emotional investment that will sneak up on the audience. And as you realize you are working towards the film’s opening, rather than the aftermath of it, the investment is only driven deeper.
Behind the Scenes
Catching Dust works best in its location, the isolation working to heighten the intensity and the drama between the couples. There is no one and nowhere else to bounce off of – nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. No matter how hard each couple tries to avoid each other, there is no way to maintain distance. As an audience as well, the isolation forces us to bear witness to the breakdown of each individual – for better or for worse. There is little to distract from the emotional toll each character undergoes, driving our investment and heightening our emotional connection. And as we watch emotions become the driving factor of the film’s narrative, we as an audience come to understand and even accept the power emotions have in pushing us to do things we never would have considered doing before.
Catching Dust also finds success in its ensemble cast. As strong separately as they are together, this emotionally driven narrative is grounded in its performances. Erin Moriarty gives the widest range in a slow burn progression of character growth. There is a desperation that borders on control constantly flickering in the challenges and conflicts Geena faces. Yet, there is also a sense of fear, leaving audiences to feel ambiguous about Geena as she navigates both her relationship with Clyde, as well as Andy and Amaya. She is complicated and far from easily defined, and Moriarty handles each aspect of Geena with ease.
Jai Courtney matches the ambiguity and complexity of Geena, delivering an intensely muted performance that speaks volumes. More is spoken through Clyde’s actions than words, and Courtney wields his acting arsenal well. Dina Shihabi and Ryan Corr both deliver strong supporting performances, becoming the catalysts in the turmoil between Clyde and Geena. Yet they are not without their own struggles. Both Shihabi and Corr understand their roles in fueling the fire between Geena and Clyde but harness the understanding and execution of their own character’s growth.
Catching Dust, however, is slow at times, leeching out some effect of the intensity it is attempting to build. Too often it feels as though the film is more concerned with capturing the beauty of the landscape than the drama, this critique feeling most prominent in the first half of the film. Yet, it manages to change hands well, allowing the film and the audience to focus more heavily on the two couples as their emotions build to catastrophic effect.
Conclusion
Catching Dust does risk losing the audience in the drawn-out moments between emotional interactions. Yet, as an audience, you will find yourself shocked by how invested you are in by film’s end.
Catching Dust premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2023!
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