Burn Country

I loved the idea of a movie highlighting the weirdness of far Northern, Coastal California. I also loved the notion the fact that our lead escaped one crazy version of human nature (Afghanistan), only to find another crazy version in California of all places.

Not that much happens. But the lead guy was mesmerizingly good in his portrayal of an awkward, deeply sensitive, almost dorky newcomer to a country and town that he doesn't understand at all.

He's so earnest in wanting to fit in and be hip. But he's in way over his head. Small rural communities have long histories, and in the case of this place, exceedingly weird ones. He hasn't been there long enough to understand the complexity. Yet you really feel for his dilemma. He wants to get a life and a profession, and do something meaningful. He's itching for it.

Melissa Leo is great as the mother of an old friend of our lead. She's an unemotional deputy sheriff, but also a mother and woman. She comes off very natural.

The opening is extremely weird, yet quite effective, because a bizarre stage play leads our main character to view it as "very free and very American." by virtue of its' weirdness.

James Franco is overexposed. I couldn't buy him as the weird town slacker, because I just kept thinking, "Oh that's just James Franco." He was probably miscast anyways.

Nevertheless, I liked it for its originality, and I don't regret watching. But beware for some violence. I could have done without it.

I love weird , interesting 'indie' films that most people dislike but this was a real mess. I went in with an open mind, and little to no expectations and ending up getting nothing out of this. I even read several explanations of what the film meant, what it portrayed but felt completely clueless to why anyone would want to watch this. Bizarre and disconnected

Most stupid, Insignificant.mlvie ever. Made absolutely no sense. Story line was ridiculous. Anyone who rated this movie anywhere near good is just pretending to be deep.

This film tells the story of an Afghan journalist, who is granted political asylum in the United States of America. He settles in a small town, living with the local policewoman. As he begins his new life and start to forge connections with others, he finds himself unknowingly in much danger.

The film has nice cinematography and lighting, but unfortunately that is about it. The story is rather poorly told, as things are not clearly explained. The relationship between Osman and the policewoman is quite confusing, as I clearly heard Osman calling the policewoman "mum" on two occasions. It is also hard to understand why Osman acted so irresponsibly, walking into danger when it is very apparent that some people are not to be messed with. Osman's persistent belief of Lindsay needing him is beyond me either, as Lindsay made no such statement, and there is no evidence to make Osman believe in that. The final scenes that happen in a weird commune is very confusing, and makes little sense. I do not understand the story at all.

Imagine you, a journalist, were kicked out of your country to seek asylum seeker in a land that you know nothing about. What you do know has been told to you by an American journalist that you became friendly with from your time as war correspondent in your own country, Afghanistan. Now, you are staying with your journalist friend's mother, who happens to be a sheriff in Burn County, everything is new, you speak English, but you aren't aware of customs or mores in you new country, folks you meet are friendly but strange, but you go on a ride along with the sheriff, while she breaks up a family disturbance between husband and his wife, you watch, then pull the husband back when he goes for the wife while she is screaming at him. The fight ends, you go back to your new home. Next day you are out and the husband happens upon you, picks you up, you become new friends. Still, as a newcomer, you know nobody, really, not even the mother of your friend. Many of these instances you happen to be privy to, makes no sense to you, it's not anything you have run into in your own country, but that's totally understandable. This movie is a portrait of what newcomers might see when they come to parts of America. Often what seems to be the usual behavior, and/or business as usual, seems totally bizarre to others. I believe that they told the story beautifully, from the POV of the newcomer and the often confusing manner that some folks in America live.