“Lana
has been away from the United
States Of America for some years and
on her return, less than twenty-four
hours after the second anniversary of
the attacks on the Twin Towers, she
finds that the country of her birth is far
from the Land Of Plenty she’d
been
led to believe...”
AS LANA SWENSON'S PLANE TOUCHES DOWN at Los Angeles airport, in another
part of the city Staff Sergeant Paul Jeffries (John Diehl: The Far Side Of
Jericho, Jurassic Park III) is watching from a van for possible
terrorist activity in the city. He sees two Arabs with boxes labelled 'Borax'
but loses sight of them…
A retired Green Beret, Paul is obsessed with protecting his homeland and waging
war against terror. Shot down in combat near Long Thanh at 18, he is now experiencing
the increasing psychological effects of dioxin poisoning, the result of being
exposed to Agent Pink exfoliate more than thirty years ago.
Having ignored letters from his sister — who married a missionary working
abroad — Paul has no idea that his niece Lana is in LA. But with the events
of 9/11, the ghosts of his traumatic past in Vietnam have returned to haunt
Paul. And the last thing that he would ever admit to is fear.
Lana (Oscar™ nominee Michelle Williams: I'm Not There, Brokeback Mountain)
is met at the airport by Henry (Wendell Pierce: The Wire), the pastor
of the Downtown Mission that serves the huge homeless community of America's
Hunger Capital where she will be working.
A horrified Lana films the appalling conditions of the homeless and, at the
Mission, she meets two of them — Hassan (Shaun Toub: The Kite Runner,
Iron Man), who tells her "my home is not a place, it is people" and the
outgoing Dee Dee (Rhonda Stubbins White).
Lana is constantly in touch with her friend Yael in Tel Aviv and sends him the
footage she shot, swapping news. Yael tells her that rubber bullets and tear
gas were used at The Wall but that nobody was hurt. Astonishingly, he says,
there were nearly as many Israelis protesting as there were Palestinians.
Lana wants to track down her estranged uncle and, at his home, his friend Jimmy
(Richard Edson: The Astronaut Farmer, The Kid And I) gives her
Paul's cell phone number. But all is not well.
Aware of reports of an Islamic militant group in Trinidad that has threatened
both the UK and the US with chemical attacks, Paul has spotted Hassan and identified
him as a suspect, following him to a chemical works. Lana finds her telephone
conversation with him short, offhand and disappointing — and he makes no
plans to meet her.
When Hassan is gunned down in the street from a black Hummer in a drive-by close
to the mission, Paul has just relocated the Arab and as the dying Hassan is
taken into the mission, he manages to say just one word: "Trona". Paul speaks
briefly to Lana and she is delighted to make the connection with him, but at
this stage is unaware of his inner torment.
Jimmy has confirmed that Borax could, in the form of Boron, be used in explosives
and tells Paul that Trona is a town pretty much built by International Boron
Chemicals 180 miles away in Death Valley. Deeply suspicious, Paul decides to
go to Trona to investigate further.
Meanwhile, Lana has been able to trace Hassan's brother Yusef (who calls himself
'Joe') and is keen to get Hassan's body to him in Trona. Paul is becoming increasingly
agitated and paranoid but nevertheless reluctantly agrees to take his niece
and Hassan's body with him to Trona.
Was the drive-by shooting really just a random killing or is it part of something
more sinister? Will Paul find the sleeper cells he expects in Trona or a peaceful
community? Land Of Plenty is a vision of America through the eyes of
two very different people: a patriotic and very troubled Vietnam veteran and
an idealistic young woman. And Paul's reclusive existence as a supposed homeland
security officer collapses as he allows Lana in and their different views of
the world collide radically.
With a backdrop of Downtown LA, Land Of Plenty is a reflection of Wim
Wenders' anger at the American government's response to the events of 11 September
2001 and is a darkly humorous and poignant essay on contemporary America.
Land Of Plenty is one of Wim Wenders' most impassioned films — an
urgent call for harmony in a world torn apart by violence and extremism. This
excellent film is mysteriously beautiful; touching on America's controversial
decisions over Iraq and the 'war' against terrorism following 9/11 alongside
the story of a compassionate, peace-loving young woman dealing with her tragically
disturbed uncle in cleverly ponderous Wim Wenders style.
Land Of Plenty earned the Official Selection in Competition, Venice Film
Festival 2004; and Winner of the Unesco Award, Venice Film Festival 2004. The
film was also Nominated for Best Female Lead, Independent Spirit Awards 2007.
The film also features Burt Young as Sherman; Yuri Z Elvin as Officer Elvin
and Jeris Lee Poindexter as Charles. Land Of Plenty is a story by Director Wim
Wenders and Scott Derrickson and is written by Michael Meredith and Wim Wenders;
Producers are In-Ah Lee, Samson Mücke, Gary Winick and Jake Abraham; Director
of Photography is Fraz Lustig; Editor is Moritz Laube and the fabulous original
Score is Composed and Produced by Thom & Nackt. Leonard Cohen is also central
to the film score, and Wim Wenders says of Ten New Songs: "It's a brilliant
album, sharp and accurate and utterly contemporary, yet not polemical… My favourite
song was Land Of Plenty… the perfect title for the film…"
• Axiom Films presents Land Of Plenty,
A Wim Wenders Film now available on DVD (release date 27 October, 2008). Certificate:
15 | Running Time: 120 minutes | RRP: £19.99 | Catalogue No: AXM555.
DVD Bonus Features: Interview with Wim Wenders; The Making of Land Of Plenty;
Deleted Scenes; Trailer; Stills Gallery; English subtitles for Hearing Impaired;
Optional 5.1 Surround Sound; Reversible Sleeve with Wenders Classics underside
for collectors.
"A thoughtful look at a post-9/11 United States from one of its most caring
long-time observers" — Los Angeles Times
"Wenders' most vital work in more than a decade" — LA Weekly
"Land Of Plenty sets the grand style of Wenders, his science of framing,
the beauty of his digital images and his unrivalled filmmaking" — Le
Monde
"Wenders has crafted a thoughtful exploration of the impact of that infamous
day [9/11]… powerful" — The Hollywood Reporter
"An enthralling look at American culture as it comes to grips with terrorism"
— Filmlink
"Wenders is an incomparable filmmaker" — Premiere
"This excellent film is mysteriously beautiful; touching on America's controversial
decisions over Iraq and the 'war' against terrorism following 9/11 alongside
the story of a compassionate, peace-loving young woman dealing with her tragically
disturbed uncle in cleverly ponderous Wim Wenders style" — MotorBar
“Lana
has been away from the United