Land of Plenty
2004 Directed by Wim Wenders, Edward McGurn
Synopsis
The American daughter of missionaries Lana returns to Los Angeles from Palestine to work in a mission helping homeless people. Lana was born in Ohio and raised in South Africa and Middle East, and she is an authentic citizen of the world, connected through Internet and aware of how other people see the lack of culture and knowledge and exaggerated patriotism of average American people. Her unique relative is her unknown uncle Paul, a veteran of Vietnam War that cut relationships with his family and is bigot and paranoid. Paul lives in a surveillance van, lives as if he were a secret agent, sees conspiracy and terrorist cells everywhere, and has a great prejudice against Arabs and other non-American breeds after the September, 11th. They meet each other, and when they see the murder of a poor Pakistanis nearby the mission, they travel together to the small town of Trone to deliver his corpse to the family, where Paul sees a different reality
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The two other films from Wim Wenders are unmistakable masterpieces. The American Friend is an exhilarating, intelligent thriller with all the atmosphere required and Paris, Texas is one of the most absorbing and meaningful pieces of cinema I've ever witnessed – a film that so excellently demonstrates the power of cinematography and silence, making it one of the most devastating films around. Wenders, with those two films, proves that his greatest asset is his deft hand at creating atmosphere than transcends throughout.
Land of Plenty, released in the wake of 9/11, examines just that. The early moments of the film portray the difficult circumstances and situations people have found themselves in, most prominently financially. The cinematography in those early scenes…
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When a movie of his got stuck in production, Wim Wenders found himself with a gap to fill. So, in 2 short months, he put together Land of Plenty, is own tale with people in America dealing with the events on 9/11, years after the attack. Lana (Michelle Williams) returns to the US, after years or missionary work abroad in thirld-world countries, on a mission to find her long lost relative, Paul (John Diel), a former member of the armed forces, who now dedicates his time on street patrols and tight surveillance of suspicious people (all muslims) in his van.
The first aspect that becomes clear is that Wender is trying to humanize certain aspects of America in these two…
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The two other films from Wim Wenders are unmistakable masterpieces. The American Friend is an exhilarating, intelligent thriller with all the atmosphere required and Paris, Texas is one of the most absorbing and meaningful pieces of cinema I've ever witnessed – a film that so excellently demonstrates the power of cinematography and silence, making it one of the most devastating films around. Wenders, with those two films, proves that his greatest asset is his deft hand at creating atmosphere than transcends throughout.
Land of Plenty, released in the wake of 9/11, examines just that. The early moments of the film portray the difficult circumstances and situations people have found themselves in, most prominently financially. The cinematography in those early scenes…
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When a movie of his got stuck in production, Wim Wenders found himself with a gap to fill. So, in 2 short months, he put together Land of Plenty, is own tale with people in America dealing with the events on 9/11, years after the attack. Lana (Michelle Williams) returns to the US, after years or missionary work abroad in thirld-world countries, on a mission to find her long lost relative, Paul (John Diel), a former member of the armed forces, who now dedicates his time on street patrols and tight surveillance of suspicious people (all muslims) in his van.
The first aspect that becomes clear is that Wender is trying to humanize certain aspects of America in these two…
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It's not Wender's best film but it is a look at what happens 2 years after 9/11 when the paranoia of being attacked again runs through the veins of Los Angeles. Michelle Williams gives a great performance, loved watching her in this film. I get what Wenders was trying to say but I think it fell a little flat, no one notices this man in a van doing surveillance or following people? I just found it hard to believe. Not a bad film but not a great one either.
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Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) now appears content to concoct ponderous pensées on the ills of modern life. This meandering tale stars John Diehl as Paul, a paranoid Vietnam veteran who roams the streets of Los Angeles in a surveillance van trying to uncover terrorist plots. When his niece (Michelle Williams) returns from overseas to track him down, she too is drawn into his latest investigation. It’s hard to get past Paul as a ridiculous stereotype of right-wing nuttiness, but even if you find something interesting in Diehl’s interpretation, you have to plod through the thesis points masquerading as dialogue or chat-room exchanges. Even when dealing with issues like homelessness and hunger, Wenders seems crushingly humorless as he tries to hammer home: “Hey, maybe these are more pressing concerns than racially profiling Muslims.”
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Although I agree with the message, it's still a message movie, and by definition not subtle. Something else I watched because I was still doing my nails (ugh, I know), a journalist mentioned that it was one of their favorite Michelle Williams performances*, and it was being taken off of Netflix Instant. Also, The Bunk.
*That movie was actually really important to me — and to you! — and to not very many other people. It was the first time that a director of such esteem and talent had seen anything interesting about me. I think it was because — and in fact he said as much — he had never seen “Dawson’s Creek.” He wasn’t aware of the show…