Monday, April 27, 2009

Movie Review: The Burning Plain

The Burning Plain is written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga who previously wrote Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel. So it shouldn't be a surprise that it tells three different stories about people having emotionally difficult times.

Charlize Theron plays a detached restaurant owner, having an affair with a married co-worker and many one-night stands. A young girl in Mexico helps her single father work as a crop duster. in Texas, Kim Basinger, a mother of four, is having an affair and her teenage daughter finds out.

The fractured story telling, strong performances and emotional depth make this film really worthwhile. Unfortunately I figured out the relationship between these stories about halfway through the film and had to wait about 45 minutes as the stories were connected to see how the ending went. I still liked it a lot but this was my ninth film in 4 days and I was beginning to get drained. Still, the drama is strong and film is good.

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