Synopsis
After escaping unscathed from a car accident, photo model Simone decides that having a baby is the only way to give her vacant life some meaning. She asks her best friend Philippe to get her pregnant, and he reluctantly agrees, on the condition that they conceive somewhere in a desert, so they leave Montréal on a 24-hour round-trip to Salt Lake City to find a suitable spot.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Pascale BussièresSimone Prévost
- Alexis MartinPhilippe
- Paule BaillargeonHospital Doctor
- Emmanuel BilodeauPhilippe's Best Friend
- Joanne CôtéMonica
- Frédéric DesagerStéphane
- Venelina GhiaourovNurse
- R. Craig CostinHired car clerk
- Estelle EsseLeather shop clerk
- Richard S. HamiltonTaxi Driver
Recommendations
- 80
The Guardian
Charming and intriguing tale of undeclared love, full of haunting set pieces that stayed in my mind for hours afterwards. [11 June 1999, p.15] - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
All this is engrossing. Stylistically and visually, Villeneuve flashes his talent to draw us in. However, narratively and thematically, he seems to be cheating. [18 Dec 1998, p.D10] - 60
Variety
An appealing though ultimately slight drama about a young woman who is thrown into an emotional tizzy after surviving a bad car crash. - 58
IndieWire
August 32nd on Earth takes way too long to get going, but the chemistry between its leads helps things along. More than anything, however, it’s the incredible economy of Villeneuve’s images that keeps things together, his shots becoming tighter and more expressive as the story falls apart. - 50
Time Out
There are striking images here (especially in the scenes outside Salt Lake City), Martin gives a very likeable performance, and individual scenes display intelligence and wit. But it doesn't hang together very well, jump-cutting between slightly portentous artiness and light comedy, and never really adding up to very much at all.
