Paris, TX

I was going to review a different film but then remembered that if I don't articulate mys feelings of a movie within a week or so I entirely lose it. It is really pushing it already to be reviewing this one after 2 weeks.

As usual, this review will contain all the spoilers as it is an in-depth film review.

Win Wenders' "Paris, TX" starts out with the main character, Travis played by Harry Dean Stanton, going into a gas station and is getting ice to try to hydrate himself when he collapses. He is taken to some doctor in the middle of nowhere and the doctor tries to talk to him quite a bit, find out who he is but Travis doesn't say a word. The doctor finds a business card in his pocket and says he is going to call and find out who he is, he ain't going to be putting up no mute.

The card ends up belonging to his brother Walt Henderson played by Dean Stockwell, the brother is shocked to hear that his brother is in Texas as he hasn't heard from him in years. There is a conversation between Walt and his wife where we are let in on the fact that their son is actually biologically Travis' son. He flies to Texas to get his brother. Once there he is told that he left. So he rushes out, aggravated, to find him. Pretty soon he sees him wandering in the desert. He gets out of the car to call him but his brother won't answer. He says "It's me, your brother. Hey!" and eventually walks over to him and ushers him into his car. Travis is still not talking and is acting as if in a daze, childlike.

After a bit of a struggle, Travis wandering away again while his brother is out getting him clothes, refusing to get on an airplane, and demanding to use the same rental car they returned after leaving the airport they eventually make it to his brother's home where he is reunited with his son, Hunter. At this point Travis is talking, initially only speaking in a few random sentences. His brother was frustrated by his lack of talking during the trip. Hunter now knows Travis is his dad. But doesn't seem to much care at first and even seems to be embarrassed by him, at one point seeing he is waiting to walk home with him he whispers to his friend and then gets into a car with his friend's parents. Travis walks back home alone.

Father and son bonding.

Over the course of the film Travis and Hunter do end up bonding and there is even a very heart-warming scene of them walking home together on opposite sides of the street, mimicking one another. Travis being silly and walking backwards. Honestly it brought a tear to my eye. Finally Hunter was letting him in and we were seeing this soft, gentle side of Travis who we haven't learned a lot about. Aside from now knowing that he lost his beautiful wife. He mentioned his own jealousy but we don't hear much more about it. We know, he was trying to find her when he was wandering.

Eventually Travis decides to take a road trip to find the wife, after having been tipped off by Walt's wife that she deposits money for Travis every month at a bank. Hunter wants to join him on his journey and suggests walkie talkies for the trip. They go to the bank, with walkie talkies in hand, and it turns out to be a drive-through bank so they both station at opposite ends of the bank to keep look-out. Hunter delighted that his walkie talkies came in handy. Eventually Hunter thinks he spots his mother and calls via walkie to his dad who has fallen asleep. When he comes to he rushes to get Hunter and follow the mother's red car onto the freeway. Eventually they are lead to a building where they assume she works. Travis tells Hunter to wait in the car and goes to find the mother.

Finding Jane, Hunter's mother, Travis' ex-wife.

It turns out she works in one of those peep shows with one-way glass. He goes in, not telling who he is and talks to her a bit. Pretty quickly he starts demanding to know if she goes home with men and what she does with them. Jealousy, once again, rearing it's ugly head. He apologizes and leaves. Taking Hunter to a motel and going back the next day to the peep show to see her again.

This second visit leads to the shocking part of the film, the part where the entire tone changes and we are let in on the horrific tale of what really happened.

"I knew these people. These two people. They were in love with each other. The girl was very young, about 17 or 18, I guess. And the guy was quite a bit older. He was kind of raggedy and wild. And she was very beautiful, you know?"

begins the shocking monologue. He continues to tell their story to her. After a minute she starts to realize it's about her and the man is Travis. He is talking about the marriage these "two people" had. How in love they were initially. How jealousy and alcoholism took over. He tells her how he tied his wife to the stove and went to sleep, feeling nothing as she and their baby screamed and cried. He woke up to the trailer on fire. and his wife and child gone. He sad how he just ran, never looking back and ran and ran for five days until every sign of man was gone.

I really love this shot.

When he is done with the story, Jane is crying and he says he is going to leave. But she asks him not to leave just yet. She turns her back to the window to tell her own story. They end up figuring out if she turns off her light, and he faces his lamp at his face she can see him. He tells her that Hunter is waiting for her in a motel and he does leave. He knows that history will repeat itself as the jealousy had already come back after just one short conversation. He sacrifices the family he loves because he knows he will destroy it again. Jane ends up going to the motel where she picks Hunter up and twirls him around, hugging him.

In closing...

The cinematography for this film is so amazing with many artistic shots that blew me away and the music is wonderful and memorable as well, composed by Ry Cooder. The story is amazing and doesn't need much to punch you in the gut. It starts out slow but enjoyable. Watching this strange, quirky man reunite, and bond with his son and ending with a crash when we hear the real story. The horrific tale of jealousy and rage. We find out this seemingly gentle man has a very dark side. It is hard to feel the same way about him but the fact that he moves on alone knowing that he can't be near his family and reunites mother and son redeems him somewhat. A story of loss, redemption, and sacrifice unlike any other. One of my favorite films for sure and definitely worth watching.