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If there’s any film director who can make you feel closer to the divine, whatever that may be, surely it’s Terrence Malick. His movies are searching inventories of what it means to be human, and queries to the heavens of what transcends this mortal coil.
He captures nature as if he can see God in every detail, and he’s capable of crafting a spiritual experience for even the most agnostic viewer. In “The Tree of Life,” Malick explored the whole of life itself. In “To the Wonder,” he narrows his focus to chart a complicated love, but makes the journey feel no less sweeping or cloaked in existential meaning.
Ben Affleck plays an American man named Neil, who falls in love with Marina (Olga Kurylenko) while the two are living in Paris, then moves, with Marina and her daughter, to an Oklahoma suburb. Things go from splendid to tense and culture-clashy, and Marina flees the States, leaving Neil to briefly reconnect with Jane (Rachel McAdams), a childhood acquaintance, before Marina returns again. All the while, a priest, Father Quintana (Javier Bardem), questions his faith when tending to the sick and downtrodden — a lonely man seen parallel to a love story plagued by loneliness.
All of this is conveyed with remarkably minimal dialogue, and while many may find the approach to be tedious and cryptic, the film somehow feels more straightforward and less elliptical than much of Malick’s work. It’s startling how fully he can communicate the story and its nuances without ever telling them to you. The only preaching comes via a handful of curious voiceovers, which are always more questions than answers, and always seem to be Malick’s own voice, hunting for grace and clarity.
At this point in his career, the ever-elusive filmmaker seems wholly uninterested in catering to audiences, and instead devoted to tying his art to the mystery of his own life. His stars are merely figures to act out the search for clues, and his tireless, fluid camera — like this movie’s love story — highlights the ache and wonder of the transience of all things.
To the Wonder
R
Three reels out of four
Opens tomorrow at area theaters
Recommended Rental
Django Unchained
R
Available Tuesday
A Quentin Tarantino revenge fantasy akin to “Inglourious Basterds,” “Django Unchained” sees the mad director rewrite the history books again, this time following the eponymous hero (Jamie Foxx) as he opens a can of you-know-what in the slavery-ridden American South. “Django” isn’t Tarantino’s best, but it’s one helluva ride, with spectacular supporting performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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