Not scheduled to open until September in the US, The Burning Plain is a frustrating film, that you can't quite decide if it is successful or not.
I must warn here that i will be discussing plot points which while i don't think they spoil the enjoyment of the film would be construed as spoilers.
The directorial debut of Babel/Amores Perros/21 Grams/Three Burials writer Guillermo Arriaga, it is unsurprisingly a tale of interwoven stories. The curious thing about this film is as a film with "twists and turns" it is wholly unsuccessful - you see each and every one coming down the road for miles! - but it seems that to Arriaga that is fine.
As a piece of drama i have to admit i liked it. It is slight but as a study of emotion and family dynamics, of forbidden relationships (forbidden by both external and internal forces) and of regret and emotional burden it is fascinating. Yes it is languid. Much of the criticism i have heard levelled at it is that little of interest happens but i don't agree, i enjoy the snapshot of the lives we get here.
I suspect the issues with it really lie with the idea that the twists aren't interesting, and that is because they are delivered in a lazy way that suggests Arriaga knows they are obvious so why bother. I can't help thinking this intentional. After all the film would like to suggest it is a surprise for us to find Theron's character is the adult version of Basinger's daughter - but every description i have seen of the film mentions Basinger is Theron's mother in the movie. I have to say going into it with only the knowledge of the IMDb plot outline in my head it surprised me more to find they didn't share scenes and as a viewer i wasn't meant to know. That said even had i not known it seemed blatantly obvious. As did the fact that the Latino girl was Theron's abandoned daughter. Again, this was clearer meant to be a revelation but the part was so well cast that from the first glimpse of the girl i thought "she bares a weird likeness to Theron, she must be her daughter" and sure enough...! Indeed, every so-called revelation in the movie was blindingly obvious.
I therefore have to conclude that if the viewer is meant to be carried from revelation to revelation finding surprise at every turn then this film is spectacularly badly done. Honestly, i apologise if you feel i've spoilt the film but within 20-25 minutes of the start you will have figured out every possible "surprise" this film has to offer.
That said seen as having no intention of surprising but purely as a character study i did enjoy its slow paced telling. All the performances were strong with Theron and Basinger as good as they have ever been and 18-year-old Jennifer Lawrence a revelation - she's definitely one to watch. I certainly liked the film as much as Babel or 21 Grams.
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