Briar Patch (2003)

A woman becomes immersed in a brutal love triangle when an unwelcomed admirer kills her abusive husband even though she's already having an affair.

Director:

Zev Berman

Writer:

Deborah Pryor

Stars:

Dominique Swain, Henry Thomas, Arie Verveen

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dominique Swain	...	Inez Macbeth
Henry Thomas	...	Edgar Macbeth
Arie Verveen	...	Flowers
James Urbaniak	...	Druden Hunt
Karen Allen	...	Butcher Lee
Debra Monk	...	Officer Avon
Blake Lindsley	...	Raeburn
Suzanne Castle	...	Saleslady
Starla Lee	...	Jewelry Store Clerk
Judy Simpson	...	Mrs. Hunt (as Jusy Simpson Cook)
Len Hathaway	...	Mr. Hunt
Stuart Hough	...	Drunk Man
Joan Thomas	...	Drunk Woman
Sam Froelich	...	Peanut Factory Foreman
Donald Lee Hall Jr.	...	Policeman

Storyline

Briar Patch is a modern, Southern Gothic tale of true love and murder. It centers on Inez Macbeth, a wisp of a girl just a shade over twenty, who may lack a formal education, but has already been taught plenty by life. She's at a dead end, married to Edgar, a petty thief who had his shot and missed long ago, but is too dense to realize it. She spends her days catering to Edgar's whims and fighting off lame advances from his taciturn partner in crime, Flowers. One day, Butcher Lee, Inez's trusted friend and an amateur mystic of sorts, reveals a vision that Inez's One True Love is close by. Determined not to let this opportunity slip by, she vows to act on that information right away. Unknown to anyone, Inez has begun a secret tryst with Druden, a sweet-spirited, oddly-romantic, and wealthy young lawyer in town. With utter certainty that Druden is The One from Butcher's vision, Inez plans their escape to Richmond. Edgar gets wind Inez is up to something and blows his cool, beating her ...

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Plot Keywords:

lack of education

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Taglines:

Love. Marriage. Murder. Sometimes they're all...Plain Dirty

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and some drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Plain Dirty

Filming Locations:

High Point, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Down Home Entertainment, Tonic Films, Wind Chill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Flowers: Please don't do that, Brer Fox.
Edgar MacBeth: It ain't no fun to get your husband angry, if you ain't around to see it.

User Reviews

Rednecks

Zev Berman, the director of "Plain Dirty", or "Briar Patch" as it's identified in these pages, takes a big chance in bringing this Deborah Pryor's screen play to the screen. First of all, this is a courageous piece of film making, and the characters in the film don't exactly endear themselves to the viewer. The film is a moody attempt to present us people that are living at the edge of society with basically no redeeming qualities to them, yet, we are hooked into watching the movie until the end, no small feat Zev Berman pulls on his viewers.

We were attracted to the movie on the strength of its excellent cast. Henry Thomas is an actor that is always interesting to watch. As Edgar, he is the man obsessed with Inez, a woman he mistreats endlessly. Inez, played by Dominique Swan, makes a good contribution to the film as the girl who can't take any more of the beatings she receives from Edgar. It's clear, from the start, that Flowers is secretly in love with Inez, but being such a sorry sight, knows he can't compete with Dru, the rich guy who wants Inez for himself. Both Artie Verveen and James Urbaniak are right on the money about how they play their characters. Also, Debra Monk, who is seen as the police officer Avon is, as always, excellent.

The film sort of hypnotizes the viewer with the cinematography of Scott Kevan and the haunting score by Nathan Barr. While it's clear that this is a not a film for a lot of people, as demonstrated by the many negative comments to this forum, the least one can do is watch it with some degree of respect because the tremendous job by Zev Berman has accomplished with this movie.