Review of The Burning Plain (2008) by Eddie G — 06 Nov 2009

For those who don't know, Guillermo Arriaga is the pen-smarts behind Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu's hyperlink dramas which boosted both of them into near-mainstream status with '21 Grams', 'Amores Perros', and the more recent 'Babel'.

'The Burning Plain' is Arriaga's full control - at helm for being the writer and director; and it's loud and clear. This, too, is a hyperlink drama mysteriously intersecting the lives of separate individuals who are emotionally scarred and longing for an answer to something.

However, instead of playing just with chronology of events, Arriaga is dealing with a larger time gap of past and present. If I were to explain the story without being incredibly vague, then I'd be ruining a few surprises here and there - but let's say 'The Burning Plain' is a thematic exercise in familial feud - how parental mistakes spawn a generation of mistake.

Sylvia, the lead character played by Charlize Theron (who undeservingly won an Oscar for her atrocious physical change in 'Monster'), is a girl retracing to the most defining moment in her life (as the Flixster plot description entails).

Theron's 'Sylvia' certainly recalls Naomi Watts' downtrodden, freakish, and masterful role in '21 Grams', yet suffers in staleness of execution most of the time. I would hate to see her be nominated for her work in this, as it's undeserved in my humble opinion.

The film is easy to follow, yet just like in '21 Grams', there's such little reasoning that I could figure out for such forced scrambling of time and chronology of events within a time period JUST to give the audience a little mindfuck.

It's cheaper than playing with the audience in a mystery film or a thriller - it's sacrificing the artistic punch of having the events invoke more of a powerful sting. I left the film with very little emotional magnetism, unlike 'Amores Perros'; unlike '21 Grams'; and unlike the masterpiece 'Babel'.

I was disappointed to witness such a mesmerizing story have little momentum and predictable surprises. I do, however, recommend a strong viewing of this for the sake of an engaging intertwining of characters, a delectable cinematic eye for breath-taking scenery and setting, and a heartfelt challenging of humanity and substance.