Land of Plenty (2004)

A drama that investigates anxiety and disillusionment in America.

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Wim Wenders (story), Scott Derrickson (story)

Stars:

Michelle Williams, John Diehl, Wendell Pierce

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Williams	...	Lana
John Diehl	...	Paul
Shaun Toub	...	Hassan
Wendell Pierce	...	Henry
Richard Edson	...	Jimmy
Burt Young	...	Sherman
Yuri Elvin	...	Officer Elvin (as Yuri Z. Elvin)
Jeris Poindexter	...	Charles (as Jeris Lee Poindexter)
Rhonda Stubbins White	...	Dee Dee
Victoria Thomas	...	News Reporter
Matthew Kimbrough	...	News Anchor
Paul West	...	Policeman
Jeffrey Vincent Parise	...	Coroner's Assistant (as Jeff Parise)
Christa Lang	...	Trailer Park Woman
Warren Stearns	...	Mortician

Storyline

The American daughter of missionaries Lana returns to Los Angeles from Palestine to work in a mission helping homeless people. Lana was born in Ohio and raised in South Africa and Middle East, and she is an authentic citizen of the world, connected through Internet and aware of how other people see the lack of culture and knowledge and exaggerated patriotism of average American people. Her unique relative is her unknown uncle Paul, a veteran of Vietnam War that cut relationships with his family and is bigot and paranoid. Paul lives in a surveillance van, lives as if he were a secret agent, sees conspiracy and terrorist cells everywhere, and has a great prejudice against Arabs and other non-American breeds after the September, 11th. They meet each other, and when they see the murder of a poor Pakistanis nearby the mission, they travel together to the small town of Trone to deliver his corpse to the family, where Paul sees a different reality.

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Plot Keywords:

cigarette smoking | watching tv | vietnam war | borax | terrorist | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Manga Films [Spain] Océan Films [France]

Country:

USA Germany Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2004 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Angst and Alienation in America

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emotion Pictures,InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment),Reverse Angle International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Lana and Paul are talking on the roof, a sign can be seen in the distance reading "The New Million Dollar Hotel". This can be seen as a reference to Wim Wenders' film The Million Dollar Hotel (2000), but the hotel is actually right next to Skid Row, where most of this film was shot.

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Goofs

When Henry picks Lana up from the airport, a member of the crew is visible in the rear window of his pickup truck, holding a bounce board to reflect light on the actors.

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Quotes

Paul: They're trying to destroy our country. They're trying to infect us. I'm not going to let them.

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Land of Plenty' (2005)

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Soundtracks

The Star-Spangled Banner
Music by John Stafford Smith
Performed by Hub Moore
Courtesy of Hub Moore

User Reviews

An American allegory

This is for me the most coherent of the Wim Wenders films I've seen and it's to-date the best attempt to depict post-9/11 America on film. The not-so-subtle symbolism, the superb acting (especially by Michelle Williams), and moving story line, which concerns an attempt to give a homeless Pakistani man a decent burial after he is gunned down in a drive-by shooting, come together to paint a portrait of an America left stunned and somewhat confused.

I was moved by the one scene in which John Diehl's character Paul is informed by his friend that "It's not who we thought," and we see on his face, the hope fading away of ever finding any relief for his vague need for some kind of justice--and this is mirrored by the fading desert sun in the background.

I agree with the other reviewer that these completely American characters may make sense mostly to non-Americans--but that's only a result of the films unflinching objectivity. Watch and learn.