Desert Bayou (2007)

78% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(279 ratings)

Filmmaker Alex LeMay explores the plight of 600 African-Americans who were unwittingly airlifted into the predominantly Caucasian state of Utah in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in this documentary exploring the aftermath of one of the worst natural and humanitarian disasters in… More Filmmaker Alex LeMay explores the plight of 600 African-Americans who were unwittingly airlifted into the predominantly Caucasian state of Utah in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in this documentary exploring the aftermath of one of the worst natural and humanitarian disasters in American history. When the water settled on New Orleans, the disaster had only begun. Now, as LeMay allows evacuees of Hurricane Katrina to tell their remarkable stories in their own words, viewers are invited to explore whether two radically different cultures can truly come together in their most desperate hour, or whether social differences will simply prove too difficult to overcome. Additional candid interviews with military, political, and religious leaders, as well as influential figures from both communities, paint a vivid picture of the struggle for survival as the misplaced New Orleans citizens struggle to come to terms with their loss, and the rising tides of racism, religion, and politics threaten to wash away a century's worth of social progress. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Alex LeMay
Written By: Thomas G. Lemmer
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Oct 5, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Feb 19, 2008
Studio: Cinema Libre

Critic Reviews

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
This little known human interest story is a fascinating one.
Joe Leydon, Variety
[Director] LeMay earns points for his balanced presentation of key figures on both sides.
, Los Angeles Times
There is undeniable power to the central dilemma of human beings at a crossroads.
Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post
Desert Bayou is at its most compelling when it stops preachifying and focuses on the lives of two troubled families.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
There are thousands of untold stories still left to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It's worth hearing the ones Alex LeMay shares in this compassionate, if somewhat underdeveloped, documentary.
Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times
Feels less like a revelatory feature film than several shorts strung together.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A damning documentary which exposes FEMA's wholesale failings while depicting a nation still deep in denial and willing to look the other way despite the ongoing suffering of a long-marginalized segment of society.
Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly
Thematic schizophrenia...it agrees that the media stereotype blacks as uneducated thugs and rappers, while its own main characters are crack addicts, ex-cons, and Master P.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
A fascinating glimpse at the almost endless obstacles given to Katrina survivors...
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
A thoughtful and interesting look at a little-told Katrina story.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
A case of great material and sloppy presentation.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Screenwriter Thomas Lemmer and director Alex LeMay appear to have some sort of agenda or ax to grind.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
People rarely enter into audacious commitments with such unforeseeable consequences. For me, it casts Utah in a new and, surprisingly, positive light.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The result is by turns sad, infuriating, frustrating and cautiously hopeful.
Nida Najar, New York Press
Does great justice to the appalling aftermath of the biggest natural disaster to hit America in our lifetime.
David Noh, Film Journal International
LeMay's approach is a clumsily obvious one which demeans everything by turning the men's experiences into a kind of reality-TV soap opera.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
A scathing documentary baring a nation into deep denial about lingering buried injustices and inequities which rose to the surface exposed to the light of day, in the wake of the Katrina floods.
Gary Goldstein, Reel.com
The failure of our current administration to act openly and efficiently in a time of crisis gets another documentary close-up in Alex LeMay's humanistic and provocative Desert Bayou.