Burning Plain, The (2008) - Synopsis

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From Guillermo Arriaga, the internationally acclaimed writer of Babel, 21 Grams and Amores Perros, comes THE BURNING PLAIN, a romantic mystery about a woman on the edge who takes an emotional journey back to the defining moment of her life. Oscar-
winner Charlize Theron plays Sylvia, a beautiful restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor masks the sexually charged storm within. When a stranger from Mexico confronts her with her mysterious past, Sylvia is launched into a journey through space and time that inextricably connects her to these disparate characters, all of whom are grappling with their own romantic destinies. In Mexico, a young motherless girl, Maria (Tessa Ia), lives happily with her father and his best friend until a tragic accident changes it all. In the New Mexico border town of Las Cruces, two teenagers, Mariana
(Jennifer Lawrence) and Santiago (JD Pardo), find love in the aftermath of their parents’ sudden deaths. In an abandoned trailer, a housewife, Gina (Oscar-winner Kim Basinger), embarks on a passionate affair that will put Sylvia and the others on a collision course with the explosive power of forbidden love.

THE BURNING PLAIN is the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. From 2929 Productions (Good Night and Good Luck, We Own the Night), the film was produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie Macdonald (Catch Me If You
Can, Sweeney Todd) and executive produced by Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan, and Ray Angelic.

While the films Arriaga has previously written often span worlds, classes, and cultures to convey their themes, for his first work as a director Arriaga chose to “let the intimacy of landscapes give emotional and physical space to the characters, as if the landscape
itself becomes another character. I didn’t want the setting of the film to get in the way of what is ultimately a story about love and its effect on one character across her life.” Arriaga’s vision for THE BURNING PLAIN was supported by Oscar-winning
cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood), and award-winning editor Craig Wood. The film was scored by two of the most influential musicians in their fields: Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight) and the musician Omar Rodriguez-
Lopez (of the prog-rock band The Mars Volta).