The Burning Plain
Written and Directed by: Guillermo Arriaga
Starring: Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence, J.D. Pardo, José María Yazpik, Joaquim de Almeida, Brett Cullen

There’s been a massive wave of Mexican filmmakers breaking into Hollywood over the past few years, thanks in large part to Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron, but there’s a third guy who arguably broke out before them both with a little movie called Amores Perros. Alejandro González Iñárritu has since gone on to direct 21 Grams and Babel, both of which were nominated for Academy Awards.

The trouble is, Inarritu recently had a falling out with writer and long time collaborator Guillermo Arriaga, who believed Inarritu was hogging the spotlight, leaving the two to head their separate ways. Arriaga is now the first to strike out on his own with his directorial debut The Burning Plain, starring Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Does this prove once and for all who is the true talent behind their collaborations?

Well, there’s little question that The Burning Plain feels similar in spirit to all of the previous films this duo has brought us. Arriaga and Inarritu are known for movies with multiple storylines that overlap and intersect, often told out of chronological order, and this one is no different. However, many people will be happy to know that the connections between the stories in this movie are a lot less far-fetched than they were in Babel.

Charlize Theron plays a woman named Sylvia, who works at a classy restaurant in Portland but lives alone. She seems to be depressed and living a self-destructive life, sleeping around with plenty of men, but not letting herself get attached to any of them. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Gina (Kim Basinger), a nervous housewife who is having an affair with a Mexican man named Nick. We learn early on that Gina and Nick die in a freak explosion in a mobile home in the desert, depicted in the opening shot of the film. After the funeral, Nick’s son Santiago and Gina’s daughter Mariana develop an unexpected relationship (unbeknownst to either of their families). A third storyline follows a young girl in search of her mother, from whom she was separated at birth.

To say anymore would be to spoil the film’s amazing twists and turns, but needless to say I thought this movie was fantastic. I absolutely love the way Arriaga’s stories unfold; you start out completely in the dark about everyone, and your mind is struggling to make sense of what you are seeing, but over time the back story reveals itself piece by piece until the picture is whole.

I know some people find this to be a gimmick of sorts, along with the use of multiple storylines, but I disagree. It just happens to be the storytelling technique that Arriaga is interested in using, and he is very good at doing it. I see no reason for him to stop now. If the characters weren’t so well-developed, and if the actors weren’t quite up to the task, maybe some of the moments of heightened drama would feel a little bit forced. Fortunately, that is not a concern here.

Charlize Theron is proving herself to be an intriguing actress, choosing fantastic movies to associate herself with in between the money makers like Aeon Flux and Hancock. Kim Basinger hasn’t really done anything noteworthy since L.A. Confidential or maybe 8 Mile, but this is a great comeback role for her. Ultimately, though, it’s the lesser known actors like Jennifer Lawrence, José María Yazpik, and Brett Cullen who really flesh out this flick.

The Burning Plain was shot by Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton) and is chock full of gorgeous scenery, from the Oregon coast to the wind swept deserts of Mexico. The texture of the film is further enhanced by a great soundtrack of haunting instrumental guitar pieces composed by The Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.

If you found Babel to be too pretentious for your tastes, then The Burning Plain is probably not going to come across any different. However, Arriaga has certainly proven himself to be very capable director here, and he no longer has to rely on someone else as a proxy for his storytelling. He has succeeded in stepping out from under the shadow of Alejandro González Iñárritu, and now the ball shifts to Inarritu’s court to see what he can do. Whether or not he delivers, at least we know that we’ve got plenty more to look forward to from Guillermo Arriaga, and I will look forward to his next cinematic concoction. — Sean

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