Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- volatile
- quiet evening
- literary film night
What critics said
Critics found the adaptation visually and emotionally appealing in places, especially Salma Hayek’s performance, but broadly felt it lacked the novel’s gritty energy and suffered from Colin Farrell’s miscasting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Arturo and Mexican American waitress Camilla struggle against his prejudice and the racial tensions surrounding 1930s Los Angeles.
Arturo arrives determined to write a major Los Angeles novel but is reduced to counting his last nickel while seeking encouragement and checks.
The Bunker Hill neighborhood provides the film’s central social environment, marked by hardship, disease, and volatile relationships.
Arturo continues seeing Camilla while treating her harshly, causing their relationship to sputter despite mutual attraction.
Films like Ask the Dust, and why
The Bridges of Madison County
period romance shaped by poverty, ethnic tension, and emotionally destructive desire
Bright Star
literary romantic drama centered on flawed artists, longing, and social constraint
The Painted Veil
1930s-set drama combining interracial romance, economic hardship, and melancholic atmosphere
Atonement
romantic period drama about ambition, class, and volatile intimacy in a vividly realized historical setting
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Towne
- Release Date
- 2006-02-02
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (169)
Cast
- Colin Farrell
- Salma Hayek Pinault
- Donald Sutherland
- Eileen Atkins
- Idina Menzel
- Justin Kirk
- William Mapother
- Tamara Marie Watson
- Dionysio Basco
- Jeremy Crutchley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ask the Dust about?
- A volatile young novelist and a Mexican American waitress collide in Depression-era Los Angeles, where ambition and prejudice corrode their longing for one another.
- What is Ask the Dust like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ask the Dust as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ask the Dust violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Ask the Dust as mild.
- What did critics think of Ask the Dust?
- Critics found the adaptation visually and emotionally appealing in places, especially Salma Hayek’s performance, but broadly felt it lacked the novel’s gritty energy and suffered from Colin Farrell’s miscasting.
- Which films are like Ask the Dust?
- Films with a similar feel include The Bridges of Madison County, Bright Star, The Painted Veil, and Atonement.
- How long is Ask the Dust?
- Ask the Dust runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ask the Dust?
- In United States, Ask the Dust streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
