TIFF 08: The Burning Plain

I don’t think The Burning Plain will solve the recent question of who should take the most credit for the acclaimed triptych of Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel, but this doesn’t mean that Guillermo Arriaga’s directorial debut should totally be dismissed. Friday night’s presentation at the Winter Garden theater was notable not for the absence of any of the players that brought this ensemble picture to fruition, but for how a film that begins with so much promise but ultimately finds itself with shaky knees. Great visual work means that Arriaga, learned a trick or two from keen observation, but it his the same structure of broken timelines and multiple character set ups where everyone becomes part of a collision course of their own that somehow came across as less-absorbing than his previous work. Notable exceptions come from a Charlize Theron in her best perf since her winning for Monster, and newbie actress Jennifer Lawrence who did more than look right for the part – delivering continuity to the character.