The film features an ensemble cast including Alejandra Walker, Javier Lopez, Ellen Clifford, Kjord Davis, Jesus Guevara and Alexandra Smothers, with Charles Wells, Tyler Vincent, Roman Marshanski, Kay Hand, Gavin Fonseca and Sassoun Hagopian in supporting roles.

The family's matriarch, Carmen, is a widowed single mother of two, who wants to "fix" her teenage son's "confusion" about his sexuality, and seeks solace through her religious beliefs.

Andrea is her teenage son, whose emerging sexuality is of concern to his mother and her religious beliefs, and then he falls for a streetwise man whom he sees as his way to escape to freedom.

As they endure their loneliness and the turmoil of maturing, each encounters unique experiences and a lasting special relationship with their ostentatious and passionate new neighbor, Lucy Bell, a companion for hire.

[10] The jury highlight that Desire Street "develop, with technical mastery and a good treatment of the script, the generation gap and the family and sexual conflicts in a multiethnic society".

This subversive type of shooting is not new to cinematography, but it is used to great effect in this application...The collaborations of Roberto Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi make them the future wave as these two engaging directors bring together fresh insight with redesigned camera work."

It was part the exhibition ID/EGO, dedicated to the filmmakers, that include also a showcase of pictures and objects used during their shootings, and the presentation in China of their latest short film Ni Jing: Thou Shalt Not Steal (2013).