Paris, Texas (1984)
★★★½ — Paris, Texas (1984)
Paris, Texas arrived in 1984 as something of a cultural event, a co-production between Road Movies, Argos Films and WDR that brought together a West German director, a largely American cast, and a script by the American playwright Sam Shepard. The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes that year, and its reputation has only grown in the decades since, frequently appearing on critical lists of the finest films of the 1980s. It sits in an interesting space, a road movie of sorts, a family drama, and a slow-burn character study all at once, set against the wide, sun-baked landscapes of the American Southwest. For a sense of what else was happening in world cinema around the same time, our coverage of Sugar Cane Alley offers a useful companion piece from the same era.
The director, Wim Wenders, was already well regarded in European art-house circles before this film, known for a body of work that returned repeatedly to themes of dislocation, longing and the uneasy relationship between European and American culture. Paris, Texas gave him his biggest international audience to date. The screenplay, credited to Sam Shepard with additional dialogue by L.M. Kit Carson, keeps its storytelling elliptical and patient, revealing its characters' histories gradually and sometimes incompletely. Robby Müller served as cinematographer, and his work here, all bleached desert light and neon-lit interiors, has become one of the film's most discussed qualities. The score by Ry Cooder, built around spare, slide-guitar instrumentals, is similarly well regarded and closely tied to the film's identity.
Harry Dean Stanton takes the lead as Travis, the man who emerges from the desert at the film's opening with no apparent memory of his former life. Stanton was a familiar face in American cinema by this point, a reliable character actor with credits stretching back to the 1950s, though lead roles of this scale were relatively rare for him. His brother is played by Dean Stockwell, a polished but unremarkable presence here who grounds the film's early sections. Hunter Carson plays Travis's young son, and Aurore Clément appears as the sister-in-law who has helped raise the boy. The performance that has stayed with most viewers, however, is that of Nastassja Kinski, whose scenes in the film's final act are regularly cited as the emotional and artistic centrepiece of the whole picture. It is worth noting, too, that for fans of quieter, more contemplative drama, our look at You Won't Be Alone touches on similar territory around memory, identity and fractured family bonds.
If it was made in 2025 we'd call it boring. Paris, Texas is in a strange place. It's very atmospheric and the cinematography is really great, but I think it's let down a little by the loose ends of the story. Also... if I'm being honest, I wasn't convinced by the lead actor. I think this is probably why he's not the lead in many films. The female lead was the best part of the movie. It's an entertaining movie on first viewing but not one I'd necessarily recommend to others or consider to watch again
I keep coming back to that point about Kinski, because it really is the thing that saves the film's second half for me. Whatever reservations I have about the pacing and the story's loose threads, those scenes she carries are the kind that remind you what the medium can actually do. If you are drawn to this sort of slow, atmosphere-first filmmaking from the 1980s, you might also find it worth checking out our take on Homework, another film from that decade with a similarly unhurried approach to its subject. Paris, Texas is one of those films you respect more than you enjoy, which is not quite the same thing as recommending it.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1984 | Watched: 2025-04-07
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Paris, Texas (1984) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: MUBI · BFI Player · BFI Player Amazon Channel · MUBI Amazon Channel
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Curzon Home Cinema
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · YouTube TV · Criterion Channel · HBO Max
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Fandango At Home
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Fandango At Home
Physical: Amazon US
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from United Kingdom: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) · Blue (1993)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
