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IMDbPro

The Burning Plain

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
20K
YOUR RATING
The Burning Plain (2008)
A drama with a two-tiered storyline concerning a mother (Basinger) and daughter (Theron) who try to form a bond after the young woman's difficult childhood.
Play trailer2:24
2 Videos
98 Photos
CrimeDramaRomance
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
20K
YOUR RATING
    • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Guillermo Arriaga
  • Stars
    • Charlize Theron
    • John Corbett
    • José María Yazpik
    • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Guillermo Arriaga
  • Stars
    • Charlize Theron
    • John Corbett
    • José María Yazpik
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 72User reviews
    • 125Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    The Burning Plain
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch The Burning Plain
    The Burning Plain
    Clip 0:55
    Watch The Burning Plain

    Photos98

    Charlize Theron in The Burning Plain (2008)
    JD Pardo and Jennifer Lawrence in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Kim Basinger in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Tessa Ia in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Charlize Theron and John Corbett in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Charlize Theron in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Charlize Theron in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Guillermo Arriaga in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Charlize Theron in The Burning Plain (2008)
    Kim Basinger in The Burning Plain (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charlize Theron
    Charlize Theron
    • Sylvia
    John Corbett
    John Corbett
    • John
    José María Yazpik
    José María Yazpik
    • Carlos
    Robin Tunney
    Robin Tunney
    • Laura
    Gray Eubank
    Gray Eubank
    • Lawrence
    Fernanda Romero
    Fernanda Romero
    • Sophie
    Kacie Thomas
    Kacie Thomas
    • Vivi
    Martin Papazian
    Martin Papazian
    • Young Man
    Sean McGrath
    • Cook
    JD Pardo
    JD Pardo
    • Young Santiago
    Diego J. Torres
    Diego J. Torres
    • Cristobal
    • (as Diego Torres)
    José Gallardo Jr.
    • Xavier
    Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin
    • Ana
    Rosalia De Aragon
    • Aunt Rebecca
    • (as Rosalia de Aragon)
    Debrianna Mansini
    Debrianna Mansini
    • Paula
    Anthony Escobar
    • Priest
    Brett Cullen
    Brett Cullen
    • Robert
    Jennifer Lawrence
    Jennifer Lawrence
    • Mariana
      • Guillermo Arriaga
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In a 2008 interview, Charlize Theron said taking her clothes off in front of cameras in this and any other film is is as easy as drinking for her. "I don't really think about it much. I read the scene and if it makes sense I do it. I treat it the same way as I would any other scene. Whether it's a nude moment or sitting at a bar drinking, it's all choices. I don't think about it as nudity."
    • Goofs
      In the airborne scene of the crop duster dusting the field, the course and actions of the dusting process were inconsistent with real crop dusting. Spraying began at a point well into the field, and no distinct pattern was set such as to avoid missing or re-spraying spots.
    • Quotes

      Laura: Late night?

      Sylvia: I guess.

      Laura: Again?

      Sylvia: Again.

      Laura: Hmm. Same guy?

      Sylvia: No.

      Laura: Do I know him?

      Sylvia: Maybe.

      Laura: Do you know him?

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: All About Steve/9/Extract/The Burning Plain/Big Fan (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Falling Star
      Written by Ali Dee (as Ali Theodore), Henry Hey, Alana Da Fonseca (as Alana da Fonseca),

      Zach Danziger (as Zach Denziger)

      Performed by E. Wilson

      Courtesy of DeeTown Entertainment

    User reviews72

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Forced and forceful, gradually makes sense and gets to you...give it time
    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.
    helpful•34
    10
    • secondtake
    • Jun 26, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 5, 2009 (Argentina)
      • United States
      • Mexico
      • Argentina
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Japan)
      • Official site (United Kingdom)
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Depoe Bay, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • 2929 Productions
      • Costa Films
      • Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 47 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS

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