Movie Review - The Burning Plain (2009)

The Burning Plain
Starring Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, and Jennifer Lawrence
Directed by Guillermo Arriaga

I must say that I wasn't expecting much when I popped in the Netflix streaming disc in preparation for watching The Burning Plain. It got trashed by the critics when it came out in the early fall and all its Oscar hopes (and there was a tiny bit of buzz around it) were dashed rather quickly. I'm not quite sure what the problem was with this flick. Director and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga crafts a tale that contains multiple storylines that seemingly have nothing in common, but intersect in quite an interesting way.

Much like Arriaga's previous screenwriting ventures 21 Grams and Babel, this film contains three different tales. Charlize Theron is the lead in the first storyline. When the film opens, Theron's Sylvia is depressed for some reason, moving from one man to the next, sleeping with them in an unsuccessful attempt to find happiness. The second tale focuses on Gina (Basinger) who is a married mother of four, but finds herself in a torrid affair with a married man. Story #3 focuses on Gina's daughter, Mariana (Lawrence). This segment obviously takes place during a different time as Gina and her lover have died when the mobile home they were in exploded while they were in the midst of having sex (that certainly sounds silly, but it's not presented in a laughable way at all). Somehow these three storylines will intersect and when they do, I found it quite satisfying.

While Arriaga certainly jumps around in time, the story he's trying to tell is strong enough to make it not feel as if it's a gimmick. I was a fan of Arriaga's Babel and 21 Grams (both of which I should give another look) and in this -- his directorial debut -- I think he has quite an eye for visuals. I guess I can say that I'm a fan of this screenwriter/filmmaker and I'd probably go see something simply because he's involved.

Theron is possibly the best I've seen her here. While I liked her Oscar-winning role in Monster, her subdued performance in this is nice to watch. Young Jennifer Lawrence is new to the acting game and I was won over by her. She possibly has the most difficult role acting-wise of the three "lead" ladies and she certainly succeeds in it. Unfortunately, Basinger is the weak link. I feel like I've seen her play this role before -- a soft-spoken, quiet woman whose voice shakes whenever she gets nervous. It's that "voice shaking" that feels like a staple of Basinger's repertoire...I'm not a fan.

Still, I was quite impressed with this overlooked and under-appreciated 2009 film. Had I seen this when it came out in October, it certainly would've been on the Top Ten List for a bit. As it stands now, it certainly makes it into the Top 20. Those of you with streaming Netflix should check this one out.

The RyMickey Rating: B+