"This stretch of road runs between nowhere and not much else."
History is a stretch of road. From where you are in the road, the past is whatever we all look back and choose to see, and "Lone Star" is about history and whose narratives are privileged. The film demonstrates revisionism in history, of the American West particularly, that is often written by the "winners", shaped to fit their own interests. The white settlers, Mexicans, African Americans and native Americans all come to this point in the road in South Texas, with their own experiences.
"Lone Star" presents this nuanced idea of history in the personal lives of the characters in the film. Their stories are interpreted differently depending on each one's identity and lived experience. New information surfacing brings into question long held truths and decisions must be made.
"Lone Star" is a neo-western set in a small Texas border town where there's a revelation under every rock, and people like the rocks where they are. Sheriff Sam Deeds, who the town sees as a lesser version of his revered father, Buddy Deeds, the former sheriff. The story begins when a skeleton is discovered in the desert. As Sam delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers a web of secrets, lies, and racial tensions that have plagued the town for generations. The result is a story about generations of family, redemption, and the search for truth in a place where the lines between hero and villain, victim and oppressor, are blurred.
By weaving together a captivating mystery with an array complex characters, "Lone Star" invites us to critically examine the stories we're told about the past and consider whose voices are often left out of the narrative, as well as things that have gone unsaid completely. And how in some cases, it may be for the best.
"Start digging holes in this county, no telling what'll come up."
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