Paris, Texas (1984) review

Phenomenal abstract poem by Wenders, Sam Shepard and L. M. Kit Carson about the complexity of the American landscape, moving from stark nothingness in Southern Texas to the winding highways of Los Angeles to the obnoxious skyscrapers of Houston. It could also be read as a statement about the American Family, with Harry Dean Stanton trying to reassemble his very existence which was violently shredded apart, leaving his son in California, his wife in some peep show parlor and him wandering around the desert alone. The final conversation between Nastassja Kinski and Stanton is meticulously written and perfectly shot - it's one of the most heartbreaking moments in film.