Director
John Sayles
Leading Actors/Actresses
Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena, Kris Kristofferson, Clifton James
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Matthew McConaughey, Miriam Colon, Joe Morton, Ron Canada
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Date of Release
1996
Producer
R. Paul Miller, Maggie Renzi
Setting and Context
Texas
Narrator and Point of View
Point of view is that of Sam Deeds
Tone and Mood
Dramatic and Mysterious
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonists are Sam and Pilar. Antagonist is Charlie
Major Conflict
Charlie's body is discovered in the Texas desert and Sam believes his father is the one who killed him.
Climax
Sam discovers that Hollis killed Charlie and his father covered it up. Also that Buddy and Mercedes were lovers and Pilar and Sam are half brother and sister and didn't know it all of their lives. Sam and Pilar have been lovers.
Foreshadowing
The skull in the desert represents that a buried past will be brought to the surface.
Understatement
Sam and Pilar being brother and sister is understated until the end of the film
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
n/a
Allusions
The film alludes to the continuing racism in Texas in the 1990s and how the past atrocities have contributed to the current day relationships between ethnic groups.
Paradox
Charlie is the Sheriff, but he only serves himself and not others as he only seeks to take money from them.
Parallelism
The drive-in movie theater at the end of the film parallels the scene between young Sam and Pilar.
