In a military base in South Texas, two off-duty sergeants find human remains next to objects that point to a former sheriff. Sheriff Sam Deeds, the son of a much-admired local figure, starts an investigation that puts him at odds with the official story of his border town, where Chicano, Black, Native American and Anglo communities share uneasy ground. As he digs deeper, he also rekindles an old romance.

How it was made

Written, edited and directed by John Sayles, the film was shot on locations along the Rio Grande in South and Southwest Texas. Produced by Maggie Renzi, with Columbia Pictures as the production company, it blends a mystery plot with a social portrait and a narrative that moves freely between eras. Stuart Dryburgh shot the cinematography and Mason Daring composed the score. Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Elizabeth Peña and Matthew McConaughey lead the cast.

Reception and legacy

It premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March 1996, and critics praised it as a high point of 1990s independent cinema and one of Sayles's best films. Sayles's screenplay earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and Elizabeth Peña won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. In 2008, the American Film Institute included it in its list of the ten best Westerns.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

Festival premiere

The film premiered at the South by Southwest festival on March 14, 1996, before its commercial release that June.

An independent award

Elizabeth Peña won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, one of four Independent Spirit nominations the film received.

More films by John Sayles

Passion Fish1992

Eight Men Out1988

Matewan1987

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.