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.
Director:
Guillermo ArriagaWriter:
Guillermo Arriaga
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Title: The Burning Plain (2008)
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2 wins & 3 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Charlize Theron | ... | Sylvia | |
| John Corbett | ... | John | |
| José María Yazpik | ... | Carlos | |
| Robin Tunney | ... | Laura | |
| 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) | |
 |
José Gallardo Jr. | ... | Xavier |
| Rachel Ticotin | ... | Ana | |
|
|
Rosalia De Aragon | ... | Aunt Rebecca (as Rosalia de Aragon) |
| Debrianna Mansini | ... | Paula | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
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
Plot Keywords:
female star appears nude | female nudity | caught having sex | unhappy wife | trailer on fire |Taglines:
Love heals. Love absolves. Love burns.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Release Date:
5 November 2009 (Argentina) See more »Also Known As:
Loin de la terre brûlée See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$20,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$58,749, 20 September 2009, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$200,399, 20 November 2009Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
|Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Maria: 9th.
Sylvia: Do you have a boyfriend?
Maria: Nope. Do you?
See more »
(1944)
Music by Camarata (as Toots Camarata)
Lyrics by Bob Russell
Performed by Madeleine Peyroux
Courtesy of Rounder Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The title can be translated to Spanish as "El Llano en Llamas", the title of Juan Rulfo's short story collection, one of Mexico's most famous writers. See more »Goofs
Santiago and Maria are supposedly living in Mexico, but Santiago's Piper has a US tail number (they start with "N" while Mexican aircraft start with XA or XB) See more »Quotes
Sylvia: What grade are you in?Maria: 9th.
Sylvia: Do you have a boyfriend?
Maria: Nope. Do you?
See more »
Soundtracks
No More(1944)
Music by Camarata (as Toots Camarata)
Lyrics by Bob Russell
Performed by Madeleine Peyroux
Courtesy of Rounder Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group
See more »
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The Burning Plain (2008)
Following a growing trend toward taking a straight forward story and making it complicated by telling it out of order, The Burning Plain might have shown the fault lines in that method. And it's not that the story, a kind of Romeo and Juliet with child story, isn't riveting. It is. And it's not that the telling of it isn't interesting. It is. But the telling is so forcefully complicated, it draws attention to itself, and away from the more human drama that is at work.
That said, it's also true that every high point here there is a storytelling gaffe. The cross cultural Mexican/American themes are generally underplayed (the exception being the insults thrown at the funeral), and convincing. The basic love story is strong enough, too, and given a nice second layer through time, as you'll see. But there are some quirks that are made both improbable and overly dramatic. One of the tenderhearted heros of the story is shown too visibly as a disturbed stalker. And the lead woman, played with a kind of virtuosic exuberance as usual by Charlize Theron, has almost too much to juggle, emotionally and literally. It just doesn't wash.
Most troubling is the writing. Not the big picture, the plot and the large sequence of events, but the actually dialog. This kind of gritty and dire movie laced with real love has to be convincing above all, and there are dozens of moments and individual lines that just smack as screen writing rather than real characters thinking and speaking.
So it's a mixed bag. An ambitious and promising mixed bag, with some moving and beautiful moments. I think it's worth seeing, but with tolerance.