To the Wonder (2012)
Certified: 14
Duration: 113 minutes
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem, Charles Baker, Romina Mondello
KRS release
There was a time when one had to wait decades for Terrence Malick to direct a movie. He has directed a total of six films in 40 years – all unique visions that at times divide his audience but are nevertheless visually beautiful.
It’s an orgy of style and emotion, of colours and moods that continuously drown out the cast
To the Wonder comes only 16 months after the beautiful but substance-lacking The Tree of Life (2011), starring Brad Pitt. This film finds Malick on surer ground, even though, once again, the emphasis is on presenting a kaleidoscope of visuals that tickle the audience with images of New Age fancy.
One cannot help but feel that To the Wonder is a very personal film for the director. It’s an orgy of style and emotion, of colours and moods that continuously drown out the cast. In fact, this film should be enjoyed for its uniqueness and not for having Ben Affleck as its star.
Malick is helped in an incredible manner by his long-time collaborator, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. The two deliver a film that is more akin to a painting in constant motion and evolution that presents a familiar environment and relationships in a unique manner. The camera seems to caress and adore earth and the sun.
With his latest films Malick has veered away from the likes of Badlands (1973), Days of Heaven (1978) and The Thin Red Line (1998).
What one conceives to be traditional storytelling has now become almost anathema for the director as he is lately focusing on turning film and celluloid into an art form in an almost abstract manifestation.
And instead of plot, the film has themes.
The basic premise follows a man (Affleck) and the relationship he has with a European woman (Olga Kurylenko). The two start to encounter problems: the woman meets a priest (Javier Bardem) who has issues of self-doubt while the man meets an old flame (Rachel McAdams). The fangs and claws of pressures and tension of the world and its society, of faith and sorrow, of love and nostalgia sink deeper and deeper.
Saying more would give the film’s plot more than it deserves. The actors are almost secondary here as the director celebrates love and how we make ill use of it.
He also takes a spiritual look at love, relationships and God’s role in all our dealings; all this through the visuals combined with a voiceover that documents the feelings and themes the director pushes forward and music from Wagner and Tchaikovsky. While not perfect, this vision is surely unique and heartfelt.
The film also looks deep at a priest going through a crisis of faith. Its depiction of people who try to find suffrage in religion and spiritual relief is a reflection of inner struggle that resounds and echoes. The film also looks at consumerism and the way we treat our world in a very unflattering manner.
Anyone who is interested in the art film genre will find that To the Wonder has some truly awe-inspiring moments.