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While it is certainly evident that Arriaga's crafts an interesting and somewhat unique presentation to an otherwise familiar story thanks to his callous approach to much of the proceeding drama, the movie too often falls a little short of its intended destination thanks to the overly cold opening and unsurprising ending. The story starts some time during the mid-1990s in a small town near Las Cruces, New Mexico (close to the border with Mexico), where Gina (Kim Basinger), a wife and mother to four children, is introduced. I was connecting the dots pretty early on as to who was who in the movie, because of the similarities in the behavior of some characters. In Depression-era North Carolina, the future of George Pemberton's timber empire becomes complicated when he marries Serena. While there are plenty of moments where the director opts to balance such instances out with moments of palpable passion (most of which occur between the two burning lovers), the dominant motif here is that callous and introverted sense of misdirection and ambivalence that plays such a major part in a few of the central characters' stories. Sylvia is a beautiful restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor masks the sexually charged storm within. Title: The Burning Plain. Synopsis. Jalisco, estado (state), west-central Mexico. This FAQ is empty. The Jennings' fight for their daughters life after she is kidnapped by an experienced gang of thieves. 'The Burning Plain' features the directorial debut of Guillermo Arriaga, and he does a fine enough job, more so on the script than behind the camera, in this … Sylvia (Charlize Theron) is a beautiful restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor masks the sexually charged storm within. [10] Of the most positive reviews, David Gritten writing for The Daily Telegraph decided that it "has all the right credentials: it is serious-minded and dramatic, with universal themes and a clutch of fine acting performances. The film stars Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida.In Arriaga's directorial debut, he films a story that has multipart story strands woven together as in his previous screenplays. [6] Other filming took place in Portland and Depoe Bay in Oregon. Common Sense Age 17+ Critics Consensus 38% HD; CC; Drama; 1 Hour 46 Minutes 2009; 4.1 • 48 Ratings; A romantic mystery about a woman on the edge who takes an emotional journey back to the defining moment of her life. With Charlize Theron, John Corbett, José María Yazpik, Robin Tunney. The Burning Plain is a dark drama, but one that offers hope - if you're willing to wait for the story to untangle its way to its natural end. In the end however, Arriaga doesn't quite reach where he tries to; The Burning Plain is and enjoyable and rewarding experience, but it lacks the extra zest needed to carry it on through to something more profound and memorable. Em’s review published on Letterboxd: This review may contain spoilers. The Burning Plain was released in theaters on September 18, 2009. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. THE BURNING PLAIN is the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. Strong characters, complex plotlines, many memorable episodes, and on-going doses of humor and gay camp without being offensive or over the top. April (age 15) is running from one bad situation into another, hoping to find an answer that doesn't involve nudity, and falls in with a group of confused kids chasing their dreams. Review by Matt ★½ . From writer/director Guillermo Arriaga comes THE BURNING PLAIN, a romantic mystery about a woman on the edge who takes an emotional journey back to the defining moment of her life. Need some help finding the best things to watch on Netflix? Gina is having an affair with a local man named Nick Martinez (Joaquim de Almeida), who also has a family of his own, but unbeknownst to the two, Gina's teenaged daughter Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence) finds out about their love affair. The Burning Plain - Il confine della solitudine, Loin de la Terre Brulée, Megváltás Genres. The Burning PlainCast: Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, John Corbett Director: Guillermo Arriaga Rated: M Genre: Drama Running Time: 106 minutes A film written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga the writer of Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel. The film stars Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida. The film was financed by 2929 Productions, and Constantini Films and The Weinstein Company purchased the rights to distribute The Burning Plain in Latin America. Directed by Guillermo Arriaga. Instead The Burning Plain opens up as it goes along, eventually climaxing in a series of finely performed expulsions of emotion. Told as a labyrinthine tangle of intercut timelines and locations, it is a frustrating exercise in self-indulgence by writer-director Guillermo Arriaga. Director. The result is a feature which definitely succeeds in offering two hours of finely plotted drama, but which also fails at making any more of an impression. Summary: The Burning Plain, a romantic mystery about a woman on the edge who takes an emotional journey back to the defining moment of her life. (2008). View production, box office, & company info. On 29 August 2008, The Burning Plain was premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film was a critical and commercial failure. Told chronologically, it might have accumulated considerable power. For the book, see, "Weekend Box Office Results for September 18–20, 2009 - Box Office Mojo", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Burning_Plain&oldid=1016483306, Films with screenplays by Guillermo Arriaga, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2020, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 April 2021, at 12:23. A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother and daughter who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? IMDb Rating 6.8 19,027 votes. 2 out of 5 stars. Oscar-winner Charlize Theron plays Sylvia, a beautiful restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor masks the sexually charged storm within. The Burning Plain is a 2008 American drama film directed and written by Guillermo Arriaga. After an accident involving their crop-dusting plane, the hospitalized Santiago urges Carlos to look for Sylvia, for whom Santiago has been searching since she abandoned him and their two-day-old daughter. Typical of Arriaga's works, this film is told in a nonlinear narrative, where events are revealed out of sequence. Depoe Bay, Oregon-Wikipedia. Interesting glimpses into Latino and gay culture. The Burning Plain follows the story of several different people separated by time and space -- Sylvia, a woman in Oregon who must undertake an emotional odyssey to rid herself of her past; Mariana and Santiago, two teenagers trying to piece together the shattered lives of their parents in a New Mexico border town; Maria, a little girl who goes on a border-crossing voyage to help her parents find redemption, forgiveness, and love; and Gina and Nick, a couple who must deal with an intense and clandestine affair... because they are both married. sundance7490 from Scottsdale, Arizona. Scenes from both families, before and after the dramatic events, suggest an unusual connection between them. The two flee to Mexico amid disapproval from their families and decide to have the baby there; after she gives birth to their daughter, Mariana abandons her family and changes her name to Sylvia. The writer-director described the premise, "There are very intense love stories here that take place in different places and times, with characters trying to find the healing powers of love, forgiveness and redemption. The following plot summary is in chronological order, thus does not reflect the exact sequence of the events as seen on screen. They visit Santiago, who is sedated due to the extent of his injuries. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Burning Plain at the best online prices at eBay! Written by Popular reviews More. Peter Bradshaw @PeterBradshaw1. The ending is somewhat dubious, but nevertheless feels like the logical step when taken in retrospect.As mentioned in the opening paragraph, a central theme to Arriaga's feature here is the suppression of emotion—of a cool, collected and strangely alien approach to relationships with other people. The Burning Plain is a dark drama, but one that offers hope - if you're willing to wait for the story to untangle its way to its natural end. All you need is a stable internet connection and a bigger device/screen to fully enjoy full movies online. … Knowing the two are inside, and in an effort to make them end their affair, she disconnects the gas pipe leading into the trailer and sets it on fire. A burning trailer, housing two lovers sharing a passionate affair behind their families back, exploding in a rage of flames seemingly caused by accident. It is in this final act that much of Arriaga's story comes together and pieces fall into place, so it's appropriate that much of the movie's most cathartic, and warmer shades transpire here.For The Burning Plain to truly come off the screen however, one has to feel for the characters that dominate the screenplay from the get-go, which unfortunately is not the case. The website's critics consensus reads: "This heavily symbolic, melodramatic multi-narrative drama lacks emotional resonance. [4] Arriaga said that he wanted to write a script for himself to direct after 11 years of scriptwriting. Here, a mysterious man follows her around. 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. This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth. "[12] According to Time Out, "Arriaga has delivered a compelling and entertaining debut that stays true to his earlier interests. A trailer is burning in the middle of a plain. Pardo played Young Santiago in the film The Burning Plain (2008) starring opposite Jennifer Lawrence with Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. "[5] Arriaga wrote the story of The Burning Plain to weave together multipart story strands. In Arriaga's directorial debut, he films a story that has multipart story strands woven together as in his previous screenplays. It's in the title, this movie was pretty plain. Guillermo … Use the HTML below. [1], This article is about the film. The black widow in the web is the sexy, pot-dealing Sally. The Burning Plain is a 2008 drama film directed and written by Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter of Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), and Babel (2006). In Arriaga's directorial debut, he films a story that has multipart story strands woven together as in his previous screenplays. The performances then, which can be hard to grasp on to as a result, nevertheless do well to keep things human without ever sacrificing that uniquely cold tone. The bodies of two adulterous lovers are found. After realizing her mistake, Sylvia enlists the help of her friend Laura (Robin Tunney) to find Carlos and Maria. "[9] Metacritic assigns a score of 45 (out of 100) based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net). It is Carlos (Jose Maria Yazpik), a close friend and business-partner of Santiago. The Burning Plain and Other Stories Questions and Answers. Watch The Burning Plain with subtitles now. The film was a critical and commercial failu… Activists arrive in Seattle, Washington en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother and daughter who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood. The daughter of once famous actress is faced with her mother's dark past. Description Hide Description Gay Mexican American lawyer Henry Rios has fought bigotry and prejudice, battled alcoholism, and watched his lover die from AIDS. After an accident involving their crop-dusting plane, the hospitalized Santiago urges Carlos to look for Sylvia, for whom Santiago has been searching since she abandoned him and their two-day-old daughter. The Burning Plain RRP: $39.95 The Burning Plain Review: A burning trailer, housing two lovers secret affair goes up in flames seeming caused by an accident. Instead, he surprises Sylvia with her now 12-year-old daughter, Maria (Tessa Ia). A trailer is burning in the middle of a plain. Cause harm repeatedly to most parts of the body and they eventually grow desensitised, calloused and indifferent to the pain over time. 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