  The Burning Plaina.k.a. “Ask atesi,” “Il confine della solitudine,” “Lejos de la tierra quemada,” “Loin de la terre brûlée,” “Ta synora tis monaxias”MPAA Rating:
 for sexuality, nudity and language._____
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Adults
Genre:
Romance, Mystery, Drama
Length:
1 hr. 46 min.
Year of Release:
2009
USA Release:
September 18, 2009 (limited—21 theaters)
DVD: January 12, 2010 
 
Relevant Issues
Cancer
Where did cancer come from? Answer How did bad things come about? Answer Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer What about the issue of suffering? Doesn’t this prove that there is no God and that we are on our own? Answer Does God feel our pain? Answer What kind of world would you create? Answer Death and funerals
Death in the Bible Funerals in the Bible Burial in the Bible BIBLICAL BURIAL SITES—Have the burial sites of any people in the Bible been found? Answer What is true love and how do you know when you have found it? Answer Love and sex
Lust in the Bible Adultery in the Bible Should I save sex for marriage? Answer How can I deal with temptations? Answer How far is too far? What are the guidelines for dating relationships? Answer What are the consequences of sexual immorality? Answer
Guilt
FORGIVENESS—How can I be and feel forgiven? Answer GUILT—If God forgives me every time I ask, why do I still feel so guilty? Answer Are you good enough to get to Heaven? Answer How good is good enough? Answer Women
Biblical women with admirable character, include: Mrs. Noah, Mary (mother of Jesus), Esther, Deborah, and Milcah, daugher of Zelophehad.
“Love heals. Love absolves. Love burns.” Producer’s synopsis: “THE BURNING PLAIN is 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.
Volunteer reviewer needed for this movie—Request this assignment See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Positive
none Negative
Negative—The movie glorified sexual encounters outside of marriage. Language was offensive, as well as nudity, etc.
Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½ —Dan B, age 58 (USA) Movie Critics
…While the drama is compelling with strong Christian content, the movie’s lewd scenes and nudity are excessive.…
—Movieguide …Multicharacter head-scratcher, yo-yoing between New Mexico and Oregon, and back and forth in time, doesn’t finally reveal much beneath the emperor’s clothes to repay viewers’ concentration during the first half. Despite an OK-to-good cast led by Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger, plus a handsome tech package, this remains an elaborate writing exercise with few emotional hooks.…
—Derek Elley, Variety …It’s an erotic mystery about a jaded woman, played with gloomy intensity by Charlize Theron.… What’s irritating is how much we have to do to readjust the perspective on entire chapters. Not just between the different, almost unfathomable, strands of the tale, but timewise, between past and present.… [3/5]
—James Christopher, The London Times …a contrived and trite story with a contrived narrative structure, the theory being that viewers will be so impressed they figured it out that they’ll believe it’s a work of art.…
—Peter Keough, The Boston Phoenix …The scenery (prettily captured by “There Will Be Blood” cinematographer Robert Elswit) is littered with heavy symbolism (fire! rain! dead birds!); the performances are merely heavy.… [D+]
—Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly …The burning is mostly on the plain, not in this labyrinthine story… the two actresses' sensitive performances don’t make the emotional connection to audiences that the story yearns for.…
—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter …Told chronologically, it might have accumulated considerable power. Told as a labyrinthine tangle of intercut timelines and locations, it is a frustrating exercise in self-indulgence by writer-director Guillermo Arriaga.… [2½/4]
—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times |
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