Terrence Malick
has a unique style of filmmaking which is immediately recognizable; gorgeous
photography, often with fields and blowing summer dresses, combined with
minimal dialogue and soft-spoken voiceover narration which is more poetry than
plot. The familiarity of Malick’s style combined with the fact that he has
drifted even further from the realms of mainstream storytelling makes To the Wonder simultaneously one of
Malick’s most personal and most inaccessible films.
Though perhaps inaccessible
is an unfair way of describing To the
Wonder, which is ripe with emotions and ideas for those willing to participate.
This is not a film for passive viewing. Audiences must be willing, and in some
cases, brave enough to bring their own life experiences into the theater with
them. This isn’t a film which demands intellectual probing, analyzing for
significant ideas and concepts buried within the screenplay. I’m certain some
scholars can and will do so, but this is a film which must be felt.
There isn’t much
of a plot in To the Wonder, but rather a series of vignettes following the
various emotions echoing throughout a relationship, even after it has ended.
Ben Affleck is an American contractor named Neil, though we rarely hear his
name or learn much about him. While on a business trip of some sort he meets
and has a relationship with Marina (Olga Kurylenko), bringing her and her
daughter back to his home in rural United States
With a minimalist storyline involving
a couple as they struggle through stages of a relationship, not much needs to
be said for there to be moments which ring true. This is helped along by Emmanuel
Lubezki’s photography and Hanan Townshend’s beautiful soundtrack, which is a
bit like a sophisticated version of Thomas Newman’s Meet Joe Black score. Rachel McAdams has a brief supporting role as
a former girlfriend that Neil reconnects with, and Javier Bardem plays one of
the film’s most difficult roles as a bitter priest.
The DVD has a making-of featurette,
as well as a couple additional extras. There is a featurette about the actors’
experience on set and one on the location choices that Malick makes. There is
also a theatrical trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 5/10
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