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Burning Cane

Play trailer 2:08 Poster for Burning Cane Released Oct 25, 2019 1h 17m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 35% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
An aging mother who lives in cane fields of rural Louisiana, is torn between her religious convictions and the love of her son.
Burning Cane

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Critics Consensus

Burning Cane is a compelling look at weighty themes -- and a remarkably assured debut from an impressively talented young filmmaker.

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Critics Reviews

View All (46) Critics Reviews
Roxana Hadadi Pajiba Burning Cane delivers a thoughtful, unyielding statement here about generational trauma, the false promise of religion, and the dire circumstances facing the rural poor. Mar 25, 2020 Full Review Adam Mullins-Khatib Chicago Reader Youmans, who was 17 while making the film, presents not only an advanced visual language and style for his age but a striking emotional nuance in the portrayal of his characters... Dec 3, 2019 Full Review Tim Cogshell FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) Deeply moving and a little bit tragic. Nov 8, 2019 Full Review Kathia Woods Cup of Soul The Black Church, Toxic masculinity and alcoholism these are the themes that are examined in first time directors Philip Youmans drama Burning Cane. Rated: 6/10 Mar 14, 2021 Full Review Matthew St. Clair Cinema Sentries It's quite a slow burn of a movie which will test some people's patience but it still deserves a watch regardless. Sep 30, 2020 Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix Stepping into the emotionally intense world of Burning Cane is like being stuck in blistering heat in rural Laurel Valley, Louisiana, where the movie takes place. Jul 11, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience reviews
Audience Member Horrible film, not even worth watching on Netflix. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/09/22 Full Review tony h Far TOO SLOW, and so apparently POINTLESS, even as it SEEMED to be trying to say something worthwhile. Most certainly a wasted opportunity all around: Do NOT waste any more time on this. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review zach m This seemed like a pretty "real" depiction of people who have been marginalized, and many of them are suffering from serious alcohol use disorders. There's some harshness to it, but it comes across as being pretty honest. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/16/21 Full Review Audience Member Slow-burn wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't repetitive - this slice of life representation of depressing squalor is portrayed in very few shades. Smoking, drinking and monotonous sermons are atmospheric and naturalistic, which would be a welcome addition to a solid story. However, it is an achievement for a 17 year old and hopefully the young director will build upon all the laurels instead of falling asleep on them. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review wayne m Burning Cane is a small and delicate film that offers up food for thought and beautiful images, but is also a mess narratively and strangely disappointing. Made by 19yo Phillip Yeomans I feel this film could have been better with more development and structure. Set in rural Louisiana, it is about a woman named Helen who struggles to understand how best to love and help her alcoholic son and the alcoholic pastor of her church. The pastor is played superbly by Wendell Pierce and is the highlight of this film. The film does make important commentary on toxic masculinity and the overbearing power of the chutrch. But I feel the film tries to hard to be impressive rather than making a film with a cogent story. A film of promise but lacking true effectiveness. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave d Husband and Wife date night in the lovely indoors during a pandemic featured 'Burning Cane' which was't able to live up to the critic hype. 17-year old first-time filmmaker Phillip Youmans may have a career in cinematography, but it's most certainly not in writing. Another in the growing line of feature films that could have told the story in 30 minutes. The story should have been compelling, but instead it's expanded to excruciating levels with so little text on the page it makes you wonder if this may have been more effective as a silent film. There's no there there. It's beautiful and it's clear Youmans will have a career in the industry if he wants it. It's hard to imagine how a teen could get his movie financed, however it got done and it may be something to measure up with future work. Unfortunately, this isn't a captivating or engaging film. It's novel that a high school aged kid does a movie, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't treat this picture on its merits! Hubby: 3.8/Wife: 4.6 Average Final Score: 4.2/10 Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Burning Cane

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis An aging mother who lives in cane fields of rural Louisiana, is torn between her religious convictions and the love of her son.
Director
Phillip Michael Youmans
Producer
Ojo Akinlana, Karen Kaia Livers, Jakob Johnson, Mose Mayer, Isaac Webb, Wendell Pierce, Cassandra Youmans
Screenwriter
Phillip Michael Youmans
Distributor
Array Releasing
Production Co
Denizen Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 25, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 6, 2019
Runtime
1h 17m