The sweeping, lyrical cinematography (by Tak Fujimoto, Stevan Larner, and Brian Probyn) presents the Dakotas and Montana as both Edenic and empty. Wide shots of Kit and Holly dwarfed by buttes and prairies suggest freedom, yet the film’s recurring images of abandoned farms, dead animals, and sterile suburban homes undercut that promise. This chapter argues that Badlands uses the landscape to critique manifest destiny: the wide-open spaces are not liberating but isolating, turning the couple inward toward solipsistic violence.
The film follows Kit (Martin Sheen), a charismatic but sociopathic garbage collector, and Holly (Sissy Spacek), a naive 15-year-old girl. After Kit murders Holly’s father, the two embark on a journey across the Montana badlands, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. badlands series
The name is also used by several authors for distinct literary universes: Into the Badlands Wikia | Fandom The film follows Kit (Martin Sheen), a charismatic
: A standalone suspense novel (part of the The Highway series) centered on a deputy sheriff in a North Dakota oil-boom town. Badlands Born (Wade Peterson) Badlands Born (Wade Peterson)