Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Charlize Theron | ... | Sylvia | |
John Corbett | ... | John | |
José María Yazpik | ... | Carlos | |
Robin Tunney | ... | Laura | |
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Gray Eubank | ... | Lawrence |
Fernanda Romero | ... | Sophie | |
Kacie Thomas | ... | Vivi | |
Martin Papazian | ... | Young Man | |
Sean McGrath | ... | Cook | |
JD Pardo | ... | Young Santiago | |
Diego J. Torres | ... | Cristobal (as Diego Torres) | |
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José Gallardo Jr. | ... | Xavier |
Rachel Ticotin | ... | Ana | |
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Rosalia De Aragon | ... | Aunt Rebecca (as Rosalia de Aragon) |
Debrianna Mansini | ... | Paula |
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. Written by sundance7490 from Scottsdale, Arizona
The movie reminded me of Babel, which is not that crazy since Arriaga wrote and directed Babel together with Alejandro González Iñárritu. (I only found this out after I saw The Burning Plain). Whereas I thought Babel was good but not superb, I absolutely loved The Burning Plain. just like Babel, The Burning Plain doesn't do chronology and I love the way Arriaga uses the lack of a chronological time-line to put you on a sidetrack time and time again. Of course I suspected things but I completely missed one of the biggest twists. Past and present are so mixed up that it isn't until quite far into the movie that you realise how all the characters are connected. And in this connection you'll find the big difference between the two movies. Whereas Babel shows the stories of people that are only connected by coincidence, The Burning Plain goes much further than that. When, almost in the end, you find out what really happened you cannot but acknowledge the genius of the person who wrote the story and the stylish way the movie was directed.
Once the 'big twist' is revealed it was like an 'aha-Erlebnis'. From beginning until ending you are wondering about the connections between the characters. "What does Sylvia have to do with Mariana and Santiago, or with Gina and Nick"? When eventually you find out, it is like a puzzle with the last piece falling in place. The result is a beautiful picture with a sad undertone, but not one I would have wanted to miss.