Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-20 13:18:51

Land of Plenty

This review is from: Land of Plenty (DVD) I love Michelle Williams, she did a superb job, as most of her work. However, I experienced some setback when purchasing, there were confusions with the vendor/s regarding my order, okmovie, and I am still fearful that I could, or maybe charged twice for the item. However, it did arrive promptly and the condition noted. I'm keeping my finger crossed that I am not being charged twice, as the outcome still premature.

Maciej Czubak 2012-05-20 07:16:28

Beautiful sadness

This film brings me to mind the music of Sade. Sad-sounding songstelling about beautiful films. This film is the opposite. Extremelybeautiful film about sad things. A film about how America changed, notonly after the 9/11 but more on how America changed since Wim Wendersfirst went to US. It seems as if Wim was trying to recall himself whyhe went to America and, more important, why he left there, in thecountry we people in Europe probably do not understand. I think Lana(Michelle Williams, who whose role automatically brings to my mindAmelie Poulain) is, in my opinion, actually Wim Wenders and Paul(Lana's uncle) is a metaphor of today's America. A country that Wimloves (and this love is based on historical picture) but that he canneither understand nor agree with. And when Lana says to Paul: '...butI still love you as you are', I know this is probably the mostimportant, most touching and most true film related to sept 9/11.That is why I give it a 10/10.see you around

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-20 00:18:22

American Reality

The American daughter of missionaries Lana (Michelle Williams) returnsto Los Angeles from Palestine to work in a mission helping homelesspeople. Lana was born in Ohio and raised in South Africa and MiddleEast, and she is an authentic citizen of the world, connected throughInternet and aware of how other people see the lack of culture andknowledge and exaggerated patriotism of average American people. Herunique relative is her unknown uncle Paul (John Diehl), a veteran ofVietnam War that cut relationships with his family and is bigot andparanoid. Paul lives in a surveillance van, lives as if he were asecret agent, sees conspiracy and terrorist cells everywhere, and has agreat prejudice against Arabs and other non-American breeds after theSeptember, 11th. They meet each other, and when they see the murder ofa poor Pakistanis nearby the mission, they travel together to the smalltown of Trone to deliver his corpse to the family, where Paul sees adifferent reality."Land of Plenty" is a very well acted low budget movie, with greatperformances of Michelle Williams and John Diehl. Wim Wenders tries topicture the reality of North America unknown for foreigners and evencommon Americans, with homeless and alienated people living with fear,angst and prejudice, totally disconnected of the world, instead of theland of opportunities and plenty of the American Dream shown in most ofthe American movies. In this regard, he is very well succeeded, but inmy opinion I found the character of Paul absolutely exaggerated, usingmany apparatuses and gadgets in his "work". The beautiful and shiningcharacter of Michelle Williams gives the hope that the world can be abetter place someday. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Medo e Obsessão" ("Fear and Obsession")

dadie 2012-05-19 10:56:26

Why so bad?

I really disagree with some American comments here, maybe just becauseI am European, I don't know, but anyway I liked that movie. It isstupid to think that Wenders wanted to represent into the maincharacter a typical American, obviously it is just an extreme positionabout the fear of anything (common in USA), but it doesn't reflex thesociety, it is a product of it. It doesn't take a wonderful picture ofUSA, but at the same time it doesn't distruct it, it want just show theparadoxes of that land, it want to be watched like the "land of plenty"and it is not, but it doesn't mean to be the hell. I understand whenAmericans find only cliché inside, but some of them are true, yourcountry has fear mania, not all of you but some. In Italy as well wesay that everybody dislike Berlusconi, but he is prime minister. Butnow it's time to speak about the movie: it is nice, characters' work iswell-made and elaborated, Location are incredible, they show anotherUSA, different from other movies. I didn't like Michelle Williamsbecause of dowson's creek, but here she is not bad, her character isunderstood by people, but I think it is the work of Wim.

2012-05-09 22:13:48

captures 2003 America

A little disorienting at first, this movie is such a rich tapestry with several multidimensional characters that one can't be certain where it's taking us. The America never seen in American films (except by Haskell Wexler) defines post-9/11 bewilderment within the context of poverty, legitimate faith, and paranoia. A second viewing--during the director's commentary--reveals that (Leonard Maltin's review to the contrary) the narrative structure is tight.The central male character conjures up the anomie of the leads in THE PARALLAX VIEW, TAXI DRIVER, and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. The Christian heroine is a good and decent young woman, played with freshness and sincerity and not one whiff of cynicism. The black minister, performed by one of THE WIRE's wittier regulars, offers a more true-to-life representation of black Americans' core values than almost ever reaches American TV or movie screens, and without treacle or bombastics. One regrets the absence of close-ups in the cameo by Gloria (TITANIC, INVISIBLE MAN) Stuart, but her scene is delightful. In his commentary, Wenders repeatedly extols the use of DVD cameras that allowed him to complete 60 or 70 set-ups a day in a 16-day shoot. The cinematography (all hand-held) is astonishingly beautiful. And Wenders rightly praises his set designer who had only $20,000 to work with and yet came in under budget!Doubtless, the German director's background affords him the distance with which to comment so cogently on America a couple of months after Bush declared the invasion of Iraq a success. With its documentary feel and non-mainstream perspective, LAND OF PLENTY will increase in value over the years, as a photo album of conditions and attitudes we can only hope will continue to heal.

randalx 2012-05-09 18:45:20

Paris, France

Superb film. The digital gives the footage a nice effect. There weresome great tight shots, and then wide angle landscape. A lot of efforthas been put into the paranoia paraphernalia of Paul, and the wayWenders brings this out. I simply adored the way Wenders slotted thecharacters into a simple plot. I thought the character of Lana was atouch stale, but since she was meant to be the pacifist missionary I'mnot sure how else the part could have been played. The socialconditions present in the story did tend to be a bit reductionist andinstructive, but far from annoying. I will agree with previous commentsthat it will appeal to European audiences more than American. However,I would disagree that the characters would have been like that before9/11. It is precisely this tragedy that launches Paul into hishyper-paranoia, the beginnings of which emerged after his experience inthe Vietnam war. I did laugh many times at Paul's lunacy. While verydifferent characters, I enjoyed following the film through the eyes ofboth Lana and Paul. This film is ultimately a Wim Wenders comment onthe US, pre and post-9/11. He deserves congrats for tackling thesubject, and admiration for the way he went about telling some sides ofthe story. I will prefer this film to any Moore production, any day.

Locoloko 2012-05-04 22:41:30

Is the well running dry?

Watching "Der himmel über Berlin" as a teen in the late 80's was aprofound experience for me - "so this was what the movies could be".Along with "Paris, Texas" and "Until the End of the World" it stillholds a special place in my heart and mind - a testament to the geniusof Wim Wenders.Unfortunately later years has seen a steady decline in the quality ofhis work with "Million Dollar Hotel" and "Land of Plenty" hitting aterrible low point. Gone are the captivating pictures or music. Nosearch for or display of great insight. All that is left are charactersand thinly veiled political statements, that boils down to nothing butclichés, and quite frankly mock the intelligence of a mature audience.Has the well run dry? Whatever the reason, it's time for Mr. Wenders toeither step it up or stop altogether.

2012-05-04 11:32:58

'Angst and Alienation in America'

LAND OF PLENTY is nowhere near as powerful a title for this brilliant Wim Wenders film as the original working title, ANGST AND ALIENATION IN AMERICA. This is another Wim Wenders wonder of filmmaking, a quiet little powerhouse of a movie that should be required viewing for all of us. Wenders wrote this moving piece with assistance from Scott Derrickson and Michael Meredith and directs a sterling cast in an exploration of the American psyche post 9/11, and few writer/directors could have keener insight into the state of mind of a country at odds with itself and the rest of the world.Lana (Michelle Williams) is flying back to the US after a two-year stay on the West Bank. She is the daughter of missionaries, having lived her life in Africa and other missionary fields and she is flying home after her mother's death to deliver a letter to her uncle Paul (John Diehl), a damaged Vietnam vet who has cut himself off from his family and the rest of life and in response to 9/11, his mind being obsessed with tracking Sleeper Cells to destroy terrorists in his own homemade surveillance van. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Lana is met by Henry (Wendell Pierce) who is a pastor who runs a mission for the homeless of Los Angeles and provides Lana with a bleak room and a job in the kitchen of the mission. Lana is full of praise for God for all things, the optimistic evangelical girl who fails to recognize evil. One member of the mission bunkhouse is a Pakistani Hassan (Shaun Toub) whose garments and fixation on boxes of Borax alerts Paul to his possible involvement as a terrorist.Lana contacts Paul, desires to connect with him, but Paul is aloof, obsessed with his 'mission' to ferret out terrorists. When Hassan is the victim of a drive-by shooting Lana is devastated at the loss of a human being while Paul is convinced Hassan was hit by a larger organization. Paul with his colleague Jimmy (Richard Edson) discover Hassan has a brother who lives in Trona (outside of Death Valley). Together Lana and Paul transport the corpse of Hassan to his brother Youssef (Bernard White) who lives in a hut in Trona: Lana is committed to doing the right thing, Paul sees an entry into more evidence for evil to quash. While Lana is warmly entertained by Youssef, Paul investigates the town and finds that the Borax boxes of Hassan's business were innocent means of washing carpets imported from Pakistan. The coming together of Youssef, Lana, and Paul finally achieves meaning when Paul reads the letter from his sister, Lana's mother, who somehow manages to erase all lines of prejudice, bigotry, religious differences, misunderstanding - finally giving breathing room to the damaged souls of the brotherhood of man the three represent.Wenders manages to bathe his story in the light of reality yet maintain an unprejudiced stance in moving his characters through their paths of revelation. The camera wanders a bit, the music blends perhaps too heavily, and the pieces of the puzzle don't always fit together - much like life doesn't always fall into place the way we expect. But there is much to learn from Wenders' wisdom and with the aid of perfect performances from Michelle Williams, John Diehl, and Wendell Pierce he has created an indelible work. A fine film for us all to ponder. Grady Harp, November 06

ft-5 2012-05-01 08:36:41

A very personal relation to America

I think with 10/10 this movie is actually rated too high normally i'dgive it a 8 or 9/10. But let me tell you why i didn't: At the time whenthis movie came to the cinemas in Germany, the anti-American atmospherethat broke off in the after-math of the decision of the Germanchancellor Schroeder, that German troops won't take part in the IraqWar (a good decision as far as I'm concerned), reached a peak. Peoplearguing against that, often stressed the historical role of theAmerican liberators of Germany and stuff. That's all true but itdoesn't say much to somebody like me, who's in his twenties.Nevertheless I think there are reasons to have a more complex pictureof America. And this movie actually tries to show something of this aswell. It also tells an American story and analyzes the American societyfrom the point of somebody (Wim Wenders) who went to America to findsomething better than in Germany. He found it. Then became realisticabout it, and found that there isn't a perfect place on earth, andAmerica definitely isn't. And so this is also a movie of a personalpicture of America after 09/11. And at this very special moment it wasalso a very political movie in Germany, even if I have to confess fewpeople saw it like this...

gradyharp 2012-04-30 23:33:27

'Angst and Alienation in America'

LAND OF PLENTY is nowhere near as powerful a title for this brilliantWim Wenders film as the original working title, ANGST AND ALIENATION INAmerica. This is another Wim Wenders wonder of film-making, a quietlittle powerhouse of a movie that should be required viewing for all ofus. Wenders wrote this moving piece with assistance from ScottDerrickson and Michael Meredith and directs a sterling cast in anexploration of the American psyche post 9/11, and few writer/directorscould have keener insight into the state of mind of a country at oddswith itself and the rest of the world.Lana (Michelle Williams) is flying back to the US after a two-year stayon the West Bank. She is the daughter of missionaries, having lived herlife in Africa and other missionary fields and she is flying home afterher mother's death to deliver a letter to her uncle Paul (John Diehl),a damaged Vietnam vet who has cut himself off from his family and therest of life and in response to 9/11, his mind being obsessed withtracking Sleeper Cells to destroy terrorists in his own homemadesurveillance van. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Lana is met by Henry(Wendell Pierce) who is a pastor who runs a mission for the homeless ofLos Angeles and provides Lana with a bleak room and a job in thekitchen of the mission. Lana is full of praise for God for all things,the optimistic evangelical girl who fails to recognize evil. One memberof the mission bunkhouse is a Pakistani Hassan (Shaun Toub) whosegarments and fixation on boxes of Borax alerts Paul to his possibleinvolvement as a terrorist.Lana contacts Paul, desires to connect with him, but Paul is aloof,obsessed with his 'mission' to ferret out terrorists. When Hassan isthe victim of a drive-by shooting Lana is devastated at the loss of ahuman being while Paul is convinced Hassan was hit by a largerorganization. Paul with his colleague Jimmy (Richard Edson) discoverHassan has a brother who lives in Trona (outside of Death Valley).Together Lana and Paul transport the corpse of Hassan to his brotherYoussef (Bernard White) who lives in a hut in Trona: Lana is committedto doing the right thing, Paul sees an entry into more evidence forevil to quash. While Lana is warmly entertained by Youssef, Paulinvestigates the town and finds that the Borax boxes of Hassan'sbusiness were innocent means of washing carpets imported from Pakistan.The coming together of Youssef, Lana, and Paul finally achieves meaningwhen Paul reads the letter from his sister, Lana's mother, who somehowmanages to erase all lines of prejudice, bigotry, religiousdifferences, misunderstanding - finally giving breathing room to thedamaged souls of the brotherhood of man the three represent.Wenders manages to bathe his story in the light of reality yet maintainan unprejudiced stance in moving his characters through their paths ofrevelation. The camera wanders a bit, the music blends perhaps tooheavily, and the pieces of the puzzle don't always fit together - muchlike life doesn't always fall into place the way we expect. But thereis much to learn from Wenders' wisdom and with the aid of perfectperformances from Michelle Williams, John Diehl, and Wendell Pierce hehas created an indelible work. A fine film for us all to ponder. GradyHarp

tzero 2012-04-24 03:36:33

Wenders has lost his way

The End of Violence and certainly the Million Dollar hotel hinted atthe idea the Wenders has lost his vision, his ability to tellcompelling stories through a map of the moving picture. The Land ofPlenty seals the coffin, I'm afraid, by being a vastly unimaginative,obviously sentimental and cliché'd film. The characters are entirelyflat and stereotyped, the writing, plot and direction are amateurish,at best. For the first time in quite a while, I was impatient for thefilm to end so I could get on with my life. The war-torn delirium ofthe uncle, the patriotic abstract gazing at the sky at theconclusion...it all just struck me as being so simple and pathetic,hardly the work of a filmmaker who once made some compelling magic onscreen. What happened? The days of experimentation, perceptive writingand interesting filming possibilities are long behind him, I'm afraid.Let's hope he finds his inspiration again... At the Toronto filmfestival, which is where I saw the film, Wenders was there to introduceit. Completely lacking in humility, he offered us the following: "Ihope...no, wait...I KNOW you're going to enjoy the next two hours." I'mafraid he couldn't be more wrong...

Anakitsuke Hidetora 2012-04-23 15:38:45

Goodbye, Wim Wenders

"Land of Plenty" is not a film. It is a tombstone for the directorialcareer of German Director Wim Wenders.Many felt it in "The Million Dollar Hotel" and now "Land of Plenty"makes it perfectly clear; not only has Wenders lost it, he's actuallyturned into a BAD director, creating horribly weak and superficialstories and scenes.One might argue that the "time you lose it" comes for every director,but Wenders' case is extreme. It's as if he completely forgeteverything he knew about cinema and started all over again - only toget sloppish results.In a few words, this film does not deserve your time.

2012-04-22 20:48:57

worse wenders, best 9/11

this movie questions about the u.s. politics.an egocentiric way of perception causes paranoid behaviours. standing on this concept, wenders re-paints a brief picture of u.s. society in a small scale! and i believe, he is very upset about what's going on! you had to forget about hollywood clichés; timing, action, dialogs and etc...(but as a Wenders movie, it is full of many clichés) if you are bored. it's pity that, this moive tells about this schizoid situation.also you should check the soundtrack.

2012-04-22 14:12:21

Learning to live in past - 9/11 America!

In order to understand entirely the profound devotion of Wim Wenders for North America, we have to make a backward glance respect four remarkable films that would seem to conform a huge poetic canvas about it. Alice in the cities from the middle seventies, Paris Texas (making us aware about the ontological loneliness of the human being), The end of the violence, Million dollars hotel and finally this superb rendition respect the fatidical day 9/11.Paul is a troubled Vietnam vet (whose resemblance with De Niro is very narrow), worried and extremely convinced another terrorist strike is aboiut to come in L.A.ay any moment.On the other hand we have his niece is an idealistic woman trying to contribute to aid the homeless people in the middle of that apocalyptical environment of L.A. low depths.The cryptic shooting of a homeless of Middle Eastern descent will rejoin them through an uneven web of events related with the search of his brother to give the mortal body of Assam.The last fifteen minutes we will witness the thoughtful reflections of self redemption, mournful nostalgia and poignant anguish in memory of the victims.A poetic film that deserves to be watched. Despite its slow-paced narrative pulse, the film will catch your attention. Don't miss it.

stinky-37 2012-04-17 23:43:32

genius

I saw this film at a pre-screening, and apparently it was severalminutes longer than the theater release. In any case, it isunquestionably the most intelligent, sensitive and understanding lookat the consequences of Sept 11 on the mentality of individuals in theUS I have seen.To place myself on the political spectrum, I'm an American and afervent opponent of the policies of George W Bush.The film looks at the psychological damage inflicted upon a broadspectrum of Americans (from young leftist humanitarian activists tomentally unstable right-wing militia-types) with an understanding andan acceptance which goes far beyond political debates to look at theconsequences of 9-11 on Americans as individuals - something done by noother film I have seen with the possible exception of Sean Penn's shortfilm in the anthology "9-11".What astonished me most about the film was that a non-American likeWenders could have such a profound understanding of the Americanpsyche. Wenders looks at America without aggression, without anger,without a shred of intolerance - but with affection, understanding andan appreciation for the damage done by 9-11.Personally I felt a tremendous amount of frustration throughout thefirst 2/3rds of the film. It wasn't enough of an anti-war statement formy tastes. But by the end, the much greater depth of the message thisfilm carries had penetrated my left-wing reactionary preconceptions andI felt - to put it simply - that Wenders had shown me my own self. Themessage is universal, powerful, and tolerant in the extreme.If your opinions are strong concerning 9-11, the 2nd gulf war, or thehomeland security program and it's consequence - no matter what side ofthe fence you sit on - you should see this film. If you can watch itwith an open mind, you might find the world and America are both abetter place for it.Thank you, Mr. Wenders. You're brilliant.

mule66 2012-04-17 15:43:33

An Absurd movie that takes itself seriously

I get it the Diehl character is s'posed to be a microcosm of Americaitself - seeing Arab terrorists under every rock, only to find out atthe end that it's his own actions all along that got him into thatsiege state and truly if he practices good-will to all men everythingwill be rainbows and lollipops. Sorry Wim you have made amazing moviesin the past that stay neutral of the politics and for good reason,polemics are your weak point and they weaken this a well-made,amazingly filmed movie with absurd characters, dialog and plotting.Better luck on your next flick. Another thing that yanked my crank wasthe belabored point of the homeless section of LA being there forreasons of hunger, these people don't get enough to eat. Truly thesefolks aren't eating regally but the real hunger these folks is aspiritual hunger, an emotional hunger, a mental hunger. They needself-respect, self-worth, dignity which you can't give a man. Yeahthose folks are hungry and if they need it it is available. Less thecenter for hunger in America, I would say it's more the center foralcoholism, drug-abuse, mental suffering and economic devastation.Dealing with hunger although a noble endeavor is band-aiding a moreprofoundly systematic societal and age-old human problem ofhomelessness. Bill Diehl was good though and Michelle Williams was cuteas the young yet (cliched) old soul.

wrlang 2012-04-16 23:28:11

paranoid

Land of Plenty is about an Viet Nam Vet looking for terrorists aroundevery corner. His naive niece from Palestine visits at the behest ofher dead mother to get an education about America and Americans. Themajority of the film is about the vet imagining all kinds of terroristplots as he goes from place to place in LA following people and makingall kinds of assumptions to support his neurosis brought on by agentpink which was the precursor to agent orange. The niece learns thatAmerica is a land of plenty that not everyone gets a piece of as shetakes up residence in a mission while looking for her uncle. A drive byshooting of a homeless Pakistani brings them together as she looks forthe next of kin and he looks for the terrorist cell. Upon meeting thePakistani relative, they come to the realization that while America isa great country, the real America is not the stuff of legend, it is thestruggle of its people to make their way through their lives andthrough the world.

essbeck 2012-04-16 06:11:41

A study about US post 911 trauma.

This film tries to catch the mood of how US try to relocate after 911.I can understand that if one are a republican they will not like thismovie, but that doesn't take away the fact that this is a very goodmovie. You find the hyper paranoid Vietnam veteran that drives aroundLA trying to find suspected people that in his mind will be planningthe next 911. In another thread of the story there is a young womanthat comes home to US , a child of US missionary's from Africa, thatcomes home and see her country for the first time since childhood. WhatI have been told about this movie is that no distributor in the US wantto take on this movie due to political reasons. Its sad because its agood movie.

robert-temple-1 2012-04-14 01:21:23

The Child Becomes the Angel

This is another masterpiece from the indomitable Wim Wenders. However,it is only a classic, not a hyper-classic like 'Paris, Texas' (1984) or'Don't Come Knocking' (2005). Those two films engaged the viewer indesperate anguish and overwhelming emotion from the very first momentsand sustained it throughout, whereas in this film, the emotionalintensity and involvement only grab the viewer in the last third of thestory. This is partly because the film was written and filmed soquickly, with no time for deep maturation of plot structure in order todiscover subtler ways to pull the viewer in earlier. The title isironical and comes from a song by Leonard Cohen, which is used near theend to the usual Wenders devastating effect. He has always been amaster at punching us in the solar plexus with his sophisticated use ofthe best music. Here, as in the succeeding film 'Don't Come Knocking',the searing cinematography of Franz Lustig shows us surfaces beneathwhich we immediately plunge. The centrepiece of this film is theamazing Michelle Williams. In her, Wenders combines his recurring'child motif' with his recurring 'angel motif', since Williams plays acharacter, Lana, who is primarily two things: (1) a 'former child', and(2) currently a working angel. Just as Wenders is probably the onlymainstream director who has ever shown a man defecating on screen, in'Kings of the Road' (1976), so here he may be the only one who hastruly shown the intimate moments of silent prayer. And we are nottalking of 'The Song of Bernadette' or any sentimental religiouspicture here, with its simulated devotions and piety, we are talkingthe real thing. Throughout the film, Williams is shown in extremecloseup whispering her ongoing dialogue with God, saying things like'Thank you for this day, thank you for this room.' She asks for hisblessings and in emergencies even his help. Williams has such extremelyunusual personal qualities that she pulls this off completely. Shelooks like what she is off screen, a reader, a thinker, a collector offirst editions. (I'm sure we must bid against each other on Ebay allthe time.) Wenders has as usual used his stunning genius for casting toget the perfect match. He has also found another one of his brilliantcharacter actors, always there but always overlooked for years, in JohnDiehl, to play the paranoid lost uncle, Paul. This is not at all apolitical film, it is as usual with Wenders a spiritual journey and arevelation of the bleakness at the empty heart of part of the AmericanDream. What could be emptier than Trona, California, shown here in allits barren devastation, and yet that empty place is where it all comestogether, where the richness and redemption of the spirit take place insurroundings so desolate that it can only be The Material World whichis being transcended right before our eyes. The ostensible subject ofthis film is post-September 11 America. But that is only an excuse forthe true subject: the human spirit struggling against emptiness, fear,delusion, and loss to achieve some peace, some acceptance, some loveand some fulfillment. There is nothing affected about Wim Wenders. Hecourageously attempts to say the deepest things in the deepest way thatthe screen allows. It is true that the character Paul is one of themost extreme characters imaginable, a man driven mad by dioxinpoisoning and helicopter crashes as a special forces sergeant in VietNam. He has taken refuge in reenacting the lost War (which he insistsobstinately 'we won') by trying to fight the new enemy, terrorism. Heis a one-man surveillance vigilante in a van, who is determined to findthe enemy this time and save his country. But it is all a patheticdelusion, and he is slowly and gently brought down from his 'high' intothe truth about things by his patient 20 year-old niece whom he has notseen since she was a baby. Eventually, with infinite acceptance andcaring, this crazed uncle achieves a grounding in reality after hisyears of torment, and comes to see the world with the unblinking eyesof Franz Lustig and the sad and tolerant vision of the child-angel.This film is another one of those Wenders miracles.

simpletonistic 2012-04-13 08:22:08

Land of Plenty: Film of Deficiency

"Land of Plenty" is a thought-provoking film. How couldn't it be?Wenders, a provocative director, taking on 9/11 and its aftermath?Truly, not to disparage Wenders, a monkey with a digital camera and aplacard reading "Tell me about 9/11" could create something worthwatching given the subject.In Wenders case, he has made an insular film focusing on two people,Lana (Michelle Williams) and her Uncle Paul (John Diehl), and the aftereffects of 9/11 upon both. Lana is a painfully naive 20 yr. oldChristian who has just returned from a missionary stint in Palestine(where she witnessed 9/11) to work in a Los Angeles mission whilesearching for evidence justifying vehement, anti-American sentimentabroad. In her possession is a letter written by her recently deceasedmom, Paul's sister. Deliverance of the letter compels here to trackdown her wayward uncle, the letter's addressee. Paul is in his 50s, ashell-shocked, paranoid Vietnam vet, intent on keeping this countrysafe from the free-roaming terrorists who are, in his eyes, ubiquitouswithin the City of Angels.Wenders draws these characters in such vivid Blue and Red colors thatyou would have to have your head up your butt not to see that theyrepresent the mindset of Democrats (Lana) and Republicans (Paul). Infact, in various interviews, and during a Q & A after the 3/31/05screening I attended, Wenders asserted that this film IS "a politicalfilm." Though he feels he has not made a polemical film: he has. You will behard-pressed not to choose sides while watching the film. As for Wenders, he leaves little doubt as to his choice: true Blue.To that end, one need only take into consideration Wenders' mockingpresentation of Paul as a hyper-vigilant nut case roaming L.A. in abeat-up, surveillance-equipment-crammed van in search of terroristactivity. Paul undertakes this toothless work functioning as aself-appointed renegade operative for Homeland Security, who have noconnection with him. Paul's right hand man, Jimmy, is a grungy garagemechanic whose only connections to top-secret sources are Internetsearch engines. They bring to mind as Beavis & Butthead, with not muchmore at their disposal than Harriet-the-Spy in terms of fruitfulresources. But for one scene showing Paul suffering the ill effects ofpost-war syndrome during a gripping nightmare, Wenders shows him to besomething of a lunatic rube--a virtual laughing stock. Indeed, most ofthe movie's laughs come at Paul's expense because just about everyaction he undertakes furthers one's opinion of him as a maligned,pathetic xenophobe. (No doubt, if this movie finds a US distributor,most patriotic Vietnam vets will express their outrage at beingpresented as loose cannon extremists.) Wenders' presentation of Paul clearly displays his loathing for suchReds: the pro-war, high-angst, flag-waving, Dubbya-backing,kill'-em-all-and-let-God-sort-'em out folk who tote, and vote for, theconservative line.It's a credit to John Diehl that his intense, career-defining portrayalof Paul embellishes the shallow character created by Wenders. Diehlnever allows Paul to breakdown completely, despite the various defeatshe suffers, and has suffered. You want to like him for to see himovercome his burdens. He's troubled but not entirely lacking heart.As for Michelle Williams, she is god-awful as Lana. Wenders wrote thepart for her, but one wonders if he did so just so that he could seeher face on the big screen. With her bobbed black hair and perpetualdoe-in-the-headlights countenance, she brings to mind a fifth-rateimitation of Audrey Tattou ("Amelie") and the poor man's GwenethPaltrow, Scarlett Johannson ("Lost in Translation"). For the most part,she functions as eye candy. At other times she's a distraction. And, inone embarrassing scene--a testament to Wenders' music video workfurthering my belief that he had other things in mind when he wrote thepart for her--where Lana is seen in isolation wearing headphones whilebopping to a tune emanating from her MP3, you beg for someone to pushher off the mission's rooftop. In short, Williams fails to ACT, neitheradding nuance to Lana's emotions nor any inventive idiosyncrasy toLana's physical being. Where Diehl took what he was given and ran with it like a crazedwolverine, Williams was unable to enhance her character, instead,opting to stand around, a vapid clothes horse.Wenders' presentation of his two main characters in such unmistakablehues ends up reducing Lana and Paul to one-dimensional cardboardcut-outs, relegating them to ancillary evidence supporting his messagesthat mental, spiritual, social and political poverty are bad, and thatthe USA's polemical political system, which has reduced and dividedcitizens into two opposing factions, sucks.The title comes from a Leonard Cohen song, "The Land of Plenty."Cohen's lyrics--And I don't really know who sent me/to raise my voiceand say/May the lights in the Land of Plenty/Shine on the truth someday--influence Wenders' directional choices. He employs the songstrategically throughout the film, right up to the very end wheretruncated lyrics: "Shine on/The Truth," float in a slate gray New Yorkskyline above Ground Zero, as if sky-written by a passing plane.An epitaph? An invocation? A critique? A prayer?Probably, all of the above.Despite Michelle Williams' abysmal performance, the conceptuallimitations inherent in the rapid creation and completion of the filmand the shortcomings of Wenders' obvious one-dimensional characters andbiased message, "Land of Plenty" remains a provocative film worthviewing. If for no other reason than to remind us that life ain'talways pretty, even here in the land of plenty. One hopes that one U.S.distributor will have the courage to pick up the film and disseminateit nationwide. If nothing else, viewers will come away thinking aboutjust how divisive our Red and Blue political system is and maybe, justmaybe, start thinking of how to change it.