Avis - Land of Plenty, Terre d'abondance

de Win Winders; 2004; 118mn. Amérique post 11 septembre, meurtrie, malade, intoxiquée. Magnifique : un cri d'espoir et d'alarme, sur un rythme lent au milieu de l'Amérique pauvre, voire miséreuse.

Un super film à voir et à revoir

Vu !

pas mal du tout! assez percutant

A film on Vietnam veteran, his niece Lana - a younger girl who doesnt understand why ordinary people hate Americans, suspicion of all Arab origine looking people, his difficult relation with his sister who lives in Africa (and raised a daughter Lana). Mother died, Lana comes looking for his uncle who sleeps in a van and pretends/believes he works for the special police... he has a friend who plays the game along with him - and they witnessed a murder, mysterious - as all the details seem to point to suspicious terrorist activities - while the uncle thinks its like a sept.11 type of incident, however, as they move forward they discovered , that these are just good simple people who are poor and just trying to make a few bucks, always conscious of whats proper and whats not... that its not right to use the company truck without permission etc. They dont even have a phone, the brother in grief still tries to be hospitable and offers a very bad vodka with a sense of humour - the Aristocrate vodka - the uncle is constantly troubled by the effects of war chemicals used in Vietnam : Agent Orange (which was Agent Pink before it was softened into Orange) a film w many nuances of pain and sorrow and soft tenderness... all shot in a Pansonic DVmini cam transferred into 35mm. In Wim Wenders site, on the forum, most enthousiastes wants to know how to make such a fantastic film with a handheld minicam? (Thats like asking, how did Rembrandt paint with such a simple paint brush?) Wim Wender's site is very straight forward and warm, approachable - very friendly and inviting - he (his office) want you to write him and chat. It doesnt project the last wonders of technologies but rather with airmail envelopes and fonts from the 80's - courier... His site is like a very famous big brother, we could all go - but a little in awe and afraid to bother him but still want to bother him - to have tea/coffee/beer with him ... The very very precise and succint portrayal of characters: for example the brother of the Ahmed, how he apologizes with humour the bad vodka; as he lives in poverty but he keeps his pride without being over compensating - too proud - etc. And the Missionary who asked Lana did you ride on a camel, then, did you ride on an elephant? It shows that inspite of our gd will we are all limited to stereotypcial visions of the "other" - and there is no way around it. If you dont have access to the real details you just have to do with the postcard versions. Thats the reality of life. Many many small details of this type that shows Wenders a master of this tale of subtlety. I was also surprised that it was shot on a small handheld camera... wonder if he had to put the camera to certain settings so that when its blown up in 35mm it wont lose too much color intensity... or what other things we have to pay attention to. Ce qui ne m'a pas plu : more info on the girl - how it relates to her African upbringing. Most foreign -missionary or other expats - have a condescending attitude towards the locals "to be taught"; it is not easy, the locals often hate the intruders too at the same time they need the milk powder or whatever these people brings them - usually its very practical food medicine etc that makes it possible for them to be needed too. A very difficult issue. The movie theme has been treated in various films - the Paul reminds me of Robert de Niro.

Je suis allée voir ce film, avec une amie, un vendredi soir, avant Noël. Nous avons été charmées par la bande originale tout d'abord, puis par l'humanité qui ressort de ce film, c'est un appel à tellement de valeurs oubliées, nous sommes sorties, il faisait froid, on s'est serré dans nos bras, et nous sommes parties, chacune de notre coté, sans un mot, car ce film est trop marquant pour pouvoir en parler.