Stopping at the dusty oasis

Abstract

Abstract Although the theme of the open road has dominated the cultural consciousness for generations, such travel and adventure are always interspersed by way-stops: stations along the way where one can pause − where things can happen within the limited environment of the place itself. This article explores the relationship between the road and these stops along the way, specifically in the context of a loose collection of several films, all involving a similar way-stop setting, a sort of arid nowhere. These films share a commonality that appears to derive from Foucault’s notion of ‘heterotopia’ − in that each way-stop constitutes an ‘other’ place. A productive search for antecedents and archetypes reinforces the heterotopic image projected. Further comparisons reveal the same sense of ambiguity and transience for fictional and real life sources as that found in the films examined.