Director: Wim Wenders
Drama
Cast:
Harry Dean Stanton * Natassja Kinski * Dean Stockwell * Hunter Carson *
My Thoughts
So slow, but so worth it!
One of Harry Dean Stanton’s best roles. He plays Travis, apparently a mute traveller, who has been missing for four years. He has left everything behind, including his young son, Hunter. His brother (Dean Stockwell) has done everything he can to try to find him. When he gets a lead, the reunited brothers return to California so that Travis can reunite with his son. Hunter is initially bewildered at the fact that he may have to call a man in his mind that he just met, Dad. They eventually reconcile and embark on a quest to find Travis’ wife (Natassja Kinksi). Once she is found, all is revealed why they are a broken family.
It is a tale of love, loss and redemption. I found it to be a film where I could just breathe, and I really can’t explain the feeling. The vast and open desert landscape echoing the feelings of being alone, and the harshness of the environment that does not provide any comfort, eerily does for this film. The title of the film is symbolic to the area of which Travis had purchased a vacant lot and and some land.
A haunting film, I find that I can only re-watch it every few years.
9/10
Ronin Cinema 