"You just... disappeared. And now I'm working here. I hear your voice all the time. Every man has your voice"
Four years after going missing Travis Henderson (Harry Dean
Stanton) walks out of the vast South Texas
desert. After collapsing in a saloon a doctor treats him and discovers his
brother’s business card in his wallet. Travis’ brother Walt (Dean Stockwell)
flies to Texas
to meet his brother and has many questions for him. Travis appears to be mute
however and doesn’t eat, sleep or talk for days. When he finally opens his
mouth it is revealed that he remembers little about the last four years. Dean
takes Travis back to his L.A.
home where he and his wife Anne (Aurore Clement) have been looking after Travis’
seven year old son Hunter (Hunter Carson) since Travis’ wife Jane (Nastassja Kinski)
left him with them and disappeared herself. Travis has to try and re-assimilate
himself back into every day life and reconnect with his young son before
setting out to try and find his estranged wife.
In many ways this film reminded me of director Wim Wenders
1976 film Kings of the Road. Both
films take place mostly on the road in quiet, almost desolate places with two
characters who barely know each other. This film is more about the family unit
and loss but is equally as good. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes as well as
numerous other prizes and it’s fantastic.
