Gus Van Sant's very slow, beautiful, and compelling movie about a couple of brash dudes, played by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, who get lost in the stony pink grandeur of the California desert. Van Sant crafts their trek out of spectacular vistas and very little dialogue, teasing us with the prospect that the movie, too, is going to wander into oblivion. Gerry is on some level a stunt, but it has the sun-dazed pull of an authentic experience unfolding in real time. (#696/697, Feb. 21)

