Paris, Texas (1984)
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A man who has been missing for years is found in the desert and reunited with his brother and son.
The story
Travis Henderson is found wandering the West Texas desert after a four-year absence. He is taken in by his brother, Walt, who travels from Los Angeles to retrieve him. The two brothers begin a journey back to Los Angeles, where Travis eventually reunites with his son, Hunter. As they travel, the bond between the brothers is tested by Travis's silence and the complexities of their shared past. Upon reaching Los Angeles, Travis becomes determined to reconnect with his former wife, Jane, and begins a journey to find her, taking his son along with him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Travis Henderson is found wandering the West Texas desert and is taken in by his brother, Walt, who had presumed him dead. The brothers travel to Los Angeles, where Travis reunites with his son, Hunter, who has been raised by Walt and his wife, Anne. Travis eventually learns that his former wife, Jane, is still alive and is sending money for Hunter. Determined to find her, Travis takes Hunter to Houston. They track Jane down to a peep show club where she works. Through a series of communications, Travis tells Jane the story of their past and the reasons for his disappearance. They eventually have a moment of connection, and Travis leaves them together to begin a new chapter of his life.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 147
- Production countries
- West Germany; France; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wim Wenders
- Writers
- Sam Shepard · co-written; L. M. Kit Carson · co-written
- Cast and characters
- Harry Dean Stanton · Travis Henderson; Nastassja Kinski · Jane Henderson; Dean Stockwell · Walt Henderson; Aurore Clément · Anne Henderson; Hunter Carson · Hunter Henderson
- Genres
- drama; road film
- Themes
- identity; father-son relationships; alienation; landscape as character
- Tone and mood
- poetic; melancholic; atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; Western; independent cinema
- Source material / true-story basis
- Motel Chronicles
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim and has become a cult classic, widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 58; Metacritic · score: 81 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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