roger ebert of the "chicago sun-times" lauded the film, awarding it a full four stars and describing it as "unflinchingly honest, and so well acted that for most of the film i abandoned any detachment and just watched it as if i were observing the lives of real people." ebert went on to note that pitt and lewis give "two of the most harrowing and convincing performances i've ever seen." leonard klady of "variety" also praised the performances of the lead cast and likened the film to charles laughton's "the night of the hunter" (1955), deeming it "an extremely handsome production imbued with a chilling, surrealistic sensibility." janet maslin of "the new york times" described the film as "an exercise in contrasting personalities, with ms. lewis's adele by far the most arresting," but added that the film "is indeed good-looking, with its striking desert landscapes nicely photographed by bojan bazelli, and with costumes by kelle kutsugaras that say everything -- and more -- about the people who wear them. if looks were everything, maybe they'd be on the right track."