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The Burning Plain

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
20K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,733
225
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
POPULARITY
4,733
225
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Writer
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Stars
      • Charlize Theron
      • John Corbett
      • José María Yazpik
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Writer
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Stars
      • Charlize Theron
      • John Corbett
      • José María Yazpik
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 71User reviews
    • 125Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos2

    The Burning Plain
    Trailer 2:24
    The Burning Plain
    The Burning Plain
    Clip 0:55
    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
    • Director
      • Guillermo Arriaga
    • Writer
      • 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 reviews71

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Consequences of an Extra-marital Affair
    Guillermo Arriaga was the writer for Inarritu's films (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) and directs here for the first time on a major film project. "The Burning Plain" plays out over thirteen years, although all the action is squeezed into two segments at each end of the time span. The film relates how an extra-marital affair has repercussions which echo through the following years. The chain of events is initiated when Gina, a housewife and mother, embarks on a romance with Nick, a Mexican with a family of his own. After a gas tank explosion kills the lovers while they make love in a remote desert trailer, Gina's traumatized teenage daughter Mariana becomes friends with Nick's son Santiago.

    Arriaga focuses on the mother, daughter and grand-daughter as the story unfolds. He uses four actresses for their roles - two being required for the teenage Mariana and her 30-something persona - and all of them (Kim Basinger, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and Tessa la) give exceptional performances. When Mariana first sees evidence of her mother's infidelity, she remains silent and carries the burden alone. The breach between them widens as she investigations and confirms her suspicions - and the youthful beauty of her face transforms into a mask as she conceals knowledge which could destroy her family. Arriaga portrays her dilemma with a delicacy that amplifies the girl's pain - showing the silent spread of the poison, its contagion first claiming the mother-daughter relationship, and then creating new ripples of damage which will ultimately infect the next generation.

    The narrative is tighter than Arriaga's work with Inarritu - it illustrates how one transgression can set in motion the engine of fate. He relies on classic cinematic techniques rather than Inarritu's flashier ones - but as in his previous work, Arriaga breaks up the story's chronological flow by chopping back and forth between two time segments. One can't help wondering if it was necessary here, since the story possesses such a strong arc. However, this is just a quibble - "The Burning Plain" results in something close to a masterpiece which shares themes found in the work of Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Dostoevsky.
    helpful•32
    9
    • tigerfish50
    • Aug 4, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 5, 2009 (Argentina)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Mexico
      • Argentina
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Japan)
      • Official site (United Kingdom)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Câu Chuyện Của Lửa, Nước, Khí Và Đất
    • 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
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $200,730
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $58,749
      • Sep 20, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,642,478
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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