The Burning Plain (2009)

"The Burning Plain" is an excellent film from 2008. It is currently available on NetFlix Instant Download Streaming. The director is Guillermo Arriaga, and the screenwriter is him as well. It is a complex film that reaches back in time with several stories simultaneously. Cause harm repeatedly to most parts of the body and they eventually grow desensitized, calloused and indifferent to the pain over time. This dispassionate, earthy and very dry aesthetic that film-maker Guillermo Arriaga applies to the world of his first major directorial outing is king; between the barren desert landscapes that permeate within the backdrops of his strangely distant and out-of-sync characters and the sparse narrative that intertwines it all together, The Burning Plain views life as a series of scars—cold and unrepresentative of the pain that brought them to the surface, but a firm reminder as such that nothing ever quite goes away, no matter how far you run. For the characters of Arriaga's story, a central catastrophe of sorts serves as the unfortunate catalyst that will bring them all together whether they like it or not. A burning trailer, housing two lovers sharing a passionate affair behind their families back, exploding in a rage of flames seemingly caused by accident. For them, the movie opens with their death thus absolving them from living with their irrevocable actions, but for those they leave behind the past stays as a constant and dictates largely how each of their futures will develop. I gave this movie 0 stars. Dale Haufrect

I did not even realize Mariana was Jennifer Lawrence until half way through The Burning Plain. She was younger with different hair color in this movie compared to her her most famous role in the Hunger Games franchise. After all said and done, after watching The Burning Plain, the only truly lasting impression I have left is the hauntingly disturbing performance by Jennifer Lawrence when she was still in her teens. The movie itself generally was interesting in its use of time shifts and parallel story-telling, as well as the empathetic performance by Kim Basinger. *Spoiler warning again*There is a little too much of cookie-cutter resolution, e.g. Theron's predictable and unconvincing "shaping up" by the end. There is also just too much gap between the character played by Jennifer Lawrence and Theron; it doesn't convince as the same person. One could argue life has changed her, but the very core and essence of the person seem different. I am somewhat of a Theron fan especially with these unflattering movies she has been making, but I have become a bigger Lawrence fan after this movie, which is surprising since I thought I was impressed a lot by her turn in The Silver Linings Playbook. The Burning Plains shows off the potential of the actress, which can be seen to lead to wonderful performances like in Silver Linings.However, having also seen Hunger Games: Mockingjay, which is one of the worst films I have seen, I truly hope Lawrence and her people see the wisdom of letting her develop her true talents and express herself more before being cast into those types of movies. Her X-Men roles really do not help much here, either. Still, I would recommend people to watch Burning Plain, which "IS" a good movie, on a much higher plane than films like Mockingjay and X- Men anyway. I just wish its ending could have been more consonant with the ominous tone of the movie and that in the future the director does not feel the need to tie up all loose ends.

What lies beneath our external persona and how we carry our past is an often an untapped, intriguing and even dangerous place to explore - and to return to.So, as we see Charlize Theron, extremely unglamorous as she rises from yet another bed at another man's house, in Portland, Oregon, an air of sadness drifts over us. Yet, as debut director Guillermo Arriaga grapples with his own script - and he has written some corkers - Babel & 21 Grams - we are strangely hooked.We want to see this woman and her life and how it connects with the rest of the film. As guarded restaurateur, Sylvia (Theron) we see that she's preoccupied and soon, she meets up with a figure from the past. From here - and inter-cut with the present, we visit her past life and how childhood events have shaped her. I won't reveal too much about this, except Kim Bassinger plays her mother, who has a torrid affair with Hispanic farmer Nick (Joaquim de Almeida - whom many will recognise but not be able to name!) near their New Mexico home.This is typical independent cinema; often slow, raw and intense and generally, as attractive as real life is - not very. Acting is always compelling and almost uncomfortably real but just because a film ticks all the 'pure' boxes, it doesn't necessarily make for a good film, which needs to be entertaining AND interesting. The latter, generally, yes, the former, not often and somehow the length and story don't make for a film that's totally satisfying. The good cinematography helps, though, as does the sparse and atmospheric music.Many will find the general pessimism of the film a little overbearing and this isn't Arriaga's best script; apparently the movie didn't do well at the box office and maybe the director will go on to produce a better film or write more great scripts for someone else to direct.

I saw this movie for the first time on TV last night: it was one of those movies that do not let you go to sleep with a light heart. It's about a deep, lacerating human drama, involving more generations, narrated through continuous going back and forward. Not difficult to follow, however, since there's a kind of subtle, subterranean emotional line, uniting all characters, places, vicissitudes, as to make the viewer almost naturally and instinctively able to get in touch with the story. And the director chose to pass such an emotional impact in a gentle and unobtrusive way, with a sense of unreal quietness, pervading the whole movie, although hiding a sense of anguish. Evident it is that in such movies great responsibility is given to the cast: in "The burning plain", the whole cast, especially the female interpreters, deliver very good and intense performances. Charlize Theron gets to convey a kind of suffocated pain and unbearable sense of guilt in a superb way. Kim Basinger offers touching and sincere acting, but also the younger female cast show credibility and intensity in their difficult roles.