In the film THE CELL, the FBI calls on Dr. Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez), a child psychologist conducting experimental research into a virtual reality treatment for coma patients. The FBI hopes to use this technique to locate a young woman who has been abducted by Carl Rudolph Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), a serial killer who is currently in a coma.
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| The Cell, 0:01:18 |
Deane is treating Edward Baines (Colton James), a young man with schizophrenia who is in a coma. The opening scene of the movie shows her making contact with him in a virtual reality environment. Director Tarsem Singh chose striking locations for this scene: Sossusvlei and Deadvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia. As far as I know, this is the first time this national park has featured in a feature film.
We visited this national park on the last day of our tour of southern Africa, and it was one of the highlights. Namib-Naukluft is Africa’s largest protected area and encompasses both desert and mountains.
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| Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
The day began very early. Before sunrise we were already on our way because it can get very hot in the desert. It was almost an hour’s drive from our lodge to Sesriem Gate, the entrance of the park. Our first stop was Dune 45 in Sossusvlei, an area with tall, orange-red sand dunes. ‘Vlei’ is Afrikaans for ‘lake’ or ‘marsh’. Dune 45 takes its name from its location: it is situated 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Sesriem.
In the film, Catherine Deane arrives here on a black horse, wearing in a white dress. As she dismounts and walks up the dune, the horse turns into a statue. I have not been able to find out what this means. Judging by the shadows, this scene was filmed at the end of the day. When we arrived here in the morning on our safari truck and walked up the dune ourselves, the sun was already higher in the sky.
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| The Cell, 0:01:08 |
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Dune 45, Sossusvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026
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| The Cell, 0:01:22 |
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| Dune 45, Sossusvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
A flash of light catches Catherine’s attention. She sees Edward holding a mirror that reflects the light, standing in a landscape of dead trees surrounded by dunes. This is Deadvlei, also known as Dodevlei, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Dune 45. This clay plain is more difficult to reach.
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| The Cell, 0:02:42 |
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| Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
We travelled the first part of the way by truck, but when it could not go any further due to the bumpy road, we were transferred to an off-road vehicle. After a few kilometres, we were dropped off at a car park. From there, it was another 20-minute walk through the loose sand to reach Deadvlei, where the temperature had risen considerably by then. Around 900 years ago, the climate in this area became much drier and the shifting sand dunes cut off Deadvlei from the river. Without water, the camel thorn trees died and Deadvlei became a white clay pan. The extreme aridity prevented the trees from decomposing. Instead, they were scorched black by the intense desert sun. The trees have not been fossilised.
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| The Cell, 0:02:45 |
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| Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
When the sun shines on the landscape, the dunes turn orange and the plain a pale yellow. Together with the dark trees and blue sky, this creates a surreal landscape reminiscent of a painting by Salvador Dalí or Giorgio de Chirico. Looking in the opposite direction, this effect is less pronounced but still striking.
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| The Cell, 0:02:57 |
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| Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
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| The Cell, 0:03:02 |
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| Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
Prior to our visit, I was curious to see if I could spot the dead trees that appear in the film, but that turned out to be no problem. Only the stump that Edward leans against was not there, but this must have been a prop. Visitors are not allowed to touch the trees.
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| The Cell, 0:03:08 |
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| Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
This is one of the most extraordinary places I have ever been to. It was not easy to get there, it was hot and the grains of sand made the camera lenses dirty – but it was well worth the effort.
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| Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, 26 July 2026 |
Screenshots © Katira Productions
