Desert Hearts18

Directed by Donna Deitch | USA | 1986 | 1h 31m | Starring Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley, Andra Akers, Gwen Welles

A strait-laced literature professor leaves New York to get away from her husband and file for divorce. Out on the West Coast, in Reno, she soon catches the eye of a free-spirited young woman. A groundbreaking release in 1985, Donna Deitch’s swooning romantic drama was made on a shoestring budget and went on to become an important touchstone for lesbian cinema.

Reviews

‘The story is not sensationalistic, although its love scene could not be more emotional. It`s a gentle story of someone being brought in from the cold.’
Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Desert Hearts between June 20, 2022 and June 22, 2022.

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What else is on?

Today (Saturday 13th September)

13:00

History of the UPP Talk U
When the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace) opened in 1911 it was Oxford's first purpose-built 'electric theatre'. Join local historian Liz Woolley for this FREE talk about Oxford's cinema history. Booking essential.

Book here

15:00

Materialists 15
1h 57m
Celine Song (Past Lives) reinvents the romantic comedy in this bittersweet New York love triangle starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. A matchmaker torn between a charming billionaire and her grounded ex faces hard truths about love.

Book here

17:30

Eddington 15
2h 29m
During COVID lockdown, a New Mexico town erupts in conflict between sheriff and mayor. With conspiracy theories, racial tensions, and cult influences, Ari Aster’s modern Western stars Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in an unsettling vision of America.

Book here

20:45

Sorry, Baby 15
1h 43m
Eva Victor writes and stars in this tender, darkly funny debut about healing from trauma. When a friend’s visit highlights her own emotional stasis, Agnes begins confronting the past, inching toward a new future in this heartfelt comedy.

Book here


Tomorrow (Sunday 14th September)

10:30

History of the UPP Talk U
When the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace) opened in 1911 it was Oxford's first purpose-built 'electric theatre'. Join local historian Liz Woolley for this FREE talk about Oxford's cinema history. Booking essential.

Book here

15:00

O Brother, Where Art Thou? 12A
USA | 1h 47m
The Coen Brothers’ screwball Southern odyssey follows three convicts chasing buried treasure in Depression-era Mississippi. George Clooney leads this musical-tinged, Odyssey-inspired comedy full of quirky characters and an unforgettable folk soundtrack.

Book here

17:30

Sorry, Baby 15
1h 43m
Eva Victor writes and stars in this tender, darkly funny debut about healing from trauma. When a friend’s visit highlights her own emotional stasis, Agnes begins confronting the past, inching toward a new future in this heartfelt comedy.

Book here

20:00

Materialists 15
1h 57m
Celine Song (Past Lives) reinvents the romantic comedy in this bittersweet New York love triangle starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. A matchmaker torn between a charming billionaire and her grounded ex faces hard truths about love.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!