On Burning Earth

Sylvia (Charlize Theron) is a successful restaurant owner, a strong, independent woman. At least, that's how it seems. But Sylvia is tormented by the ghosts of her past. She deliberately prevents herself from being happy with meaningless affairs. When she is confronted with her past, the present she has built for herself in Seattle threatens to collapse.

Somewhere near the Mexican border, Gina (Kim Basinger) tries to give new meaning to her hapless life by having an affair with Mexican Nick Martinez (Joaquim de Almeida). At the same time, her daughter Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence) finds her first love in Santiago (JD Pardo), Nick's son. But when she learns of her mother's affair, it threatens to end in disaster.

Aside the Mexican border, eight-year-old Maria (Tessa Ia) watches her father crash a single-engine plane. While her father struggles to survive, his friend Carlos desperately searches for the little girl's mother, who disappeared shortly after Maria was born. At first glance, three different stories, but they are inextricably linked.

On Burning Earth is the directorial debut of Mexican Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter of such films as Babel and 21 Grams. Also in the director's chair, Arriaga tells his stories in very complex, convoluted ways. In doing so, he not only jumps back and forth between different plot levels, but also different time levels. Only towards the end does it become clear to the viewer what is present, what is past and how the different storylines are connected. Even though this stylistic device isn't new anymore and doesn't work nearly as well as it did in 21 Grams, for example, the whole thing is still very effective in the end. Because even if the story seems a bit contrived at the end, the resolution still gives you real goosebumps and a thick lump in your throat.

The film is carried by the great work of cinematographer Robert Elswit, who won an Oscar for There will be Blood and has once again conjured up extremely engaging, mesmerizing images on the screen. Embedded in this powerful imagery are no less convincing performances from the first-rate ensemble of actors Arriaga was able to assemble in front of the camera for his directorial debut. Charlize Theron gives the woman with a penchant for self-destruction with quiet intensity, while newcomer Jennifer Lawrence (Winter`s Bone, X-Men: First Decision) wows with youthful strength. But Kim Basinger, JD Pardo and Tessa Ia also provide performances that make this a very intense film.

On Burning Earth is not an easy film to watch. Both in terms of content and style, the story, which is steeped in grief, death and pain, is a real challenge. If you're willing to face it and like films like Babel, you definitely shouldn't miss Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp