**Texas yesterday and today: a film where the past serves to weave considerations for the present.** For us, the Portuguese, who see the USA from the outside, it is difficult to comprehend the internal differences between the US states. For us, USA is a country of continental dimensions, which conveys a united and uniform image. And this image could not be more misleading: the US remains a union of fifty small…

There are quite a few household names in the starting line up here, but most barely feature as we are introduced to sheriff "Sam" (Chris Cooper). He's the son of the recently deceased sheriff "Buddy" (Matthew McConaughey) and the appreciative townsfolk are about to unveil a monument to this upstanding citizen who was married to a "saint"! Told by way of contemporaneous conversation and flashbacks, the story unravels…