Wim Wenders’s Paris, Texas is a hauntingly beautiful road film set against the wide-open landscapes of the American Southwest. Written by Sam Shepard, the film follows Travis (a career-defining performance by Harry Dean Stanton), a drifter who reemerges after years of silence to reconnect with his young son and search for his estranged wife (Nastassja Kinski). Guided by Ry Cooder’s evocative score and Robby Müller’s luminous cinematography, the film explores masculinity, loss, and the fragile myth of the American family. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, Paris, Texas endures as a landmark of modern cinema.
