Briar Patch

Zev Berman, the director of "Plain Dirty", or "Briar Patch" as it's identified in these pages, takes a big chance in bringing this Deborah Pryor's screen play to the screen. First of all, this is a courageous piece of film making, and the characters in the film don't exactly endear themselves to the viewer. The film is a moody attempt to present us people that are living at the edge of society with basically no redeeming qualities to them, yet, we are hooked into watching the movie until the end, no small feat Zev Berman pulls on his viewers.

We were attracted to the movie on the strength of its excellent cast. Henry Thomas is an actor that is always interesting to watch. As Edgar, he is the man obsessed with Inez, a woman he mistreats endlessly. Inez, played by Dominique Swan, makes a good contribution to the film as the girl who can't take any more of the beatings she receives from Edgar. It's clear, from the start, that Flowers is secretly in love with Inez, but being such a sorry sight, knows he can't compete with Dru, the rich guy who wants Inez for himself. Both Artie Verveen and James Urbaniak are right on the money about how they play their characters. Also, Debra Monk, who is seen as the police officer Avon is, as always, excellent.

The film sort of hypnotizes the viewer with the cinematography of Scott Kevan and the haunting score by Nathan Barr. While it's clear that this is a not a film for a lot of people, as demonstrated by the many negative comments to this forum, the least one can do is watch it with some degree of respect because the tremendous job by Zev Berman has accomplished with this movie.

(2004) Plain Dirty/ Briar Patch DRAMA/THRILLER/ MYSTERY

Sexy looking Dominique Swain as Inez escaping an abusive relationship by involving herself with a much wealthy peer, who is the Henry Thomas character, the first star of E. T. as the abuser and authority figure as Edgar, and his supposedly old friend Flowers. All it is, is 'red necks' or hillbillies and their dysfunctional relationship woes. Karen Allen also stars as the fortune teller. I was able to watch this straight through because of the back wood settings, photography and atmosphere as a theatrical film, even through I was unable to picture both Henry Thomas and Karen Allen as a couple of hillbillies. Simplistic story line with plot holes that's been done before.

Doesn't deserve the horrible rating the IMDb viewers gave or nor the cold shoulder it otherwise received. Sort of a poor man's Flannery O'Connor short

story. Almost works as a character study of the poor girl at the center of the picture and, in this regard, I believe that it was the movie's creator(s)' intention not to allow our hillbilly queen to garner our sympathy . Another plus is that the characters appear genuine when they could have easily been allowed to slide

into stereotypes. Holds your interest and maintains pace despite relatively

modest plot. Satisfying to know that this mild, unpretentious entertainment was made with such a modest -possibly nominal - budget. I'm thinking that the

naysayer's just didn't have the patience or humility to enjoy this film.

"Briar Patch" (also known as "Plain Dirty") really took me by surprise. Despite its direct-to-video origins, the movie is surprisingly cinematic. Shot on location in the swamps of North Carolina, every bit of grime and drop of sweat registers beautifully on screen. This is a seamy, sordid tale of two men (Henry Thomas and Arie Verveen) fighting to assert control over headstrong beauty Inez (Dominique Swain), who has plans of her own.

All three leads are excellent, but Verveen really stands out in the difficult role of Flowers. At first, he seems to be little more than a man-child, playing with hand puppets and hanging on his friend Edgar's every word. Later, he's revealed to be a surprisingly conniving manipulator, becoming the film's driving force. Karen Allen features in an excellent supporting role as Inez' fortune telling friend.

Recalling classic Southern sleaze like "God's Little Acre" and "Baby Doll", this one clearly slipped under the radar and warrants rediscovery.

While it's not pleasant, it definitely sinks its hooks into you and stays for a while. This movie would be easy to dismiss as a Southern Gothic mess, but there is a fable quality that makes it hard to forget.

The performances are all very strong and the setting is excellent. In a way it's all about how our dreams possess us and motivate us, while simultaneously coming into collision with those dreamers around us. The frustration of the husband in trying to control his wife makes it easy to believe how far he's willing to go, and, therefore, how desperately she plots and conspires to be free.

You won't admire anybody's morals here, that's for sure, but you can't help empathizing with how strongly each person struggles for the vision of existence they wish to achieve.