See? It's not all CGI and wide-release flicks here at HoB. I'm a movie fan, and movies come in many forms. Terrence Malick is quite possibly the single biggest crazyman auteur in Hollywood. And that's saying something. He's not in it for money, for fame, for any of the material comforts that a life in show business offers. Malick makes films for one reason and only one reason, to explore and expand upon his art. He touches on and explores themes that seem to be more at home in literature.. utilizing the visual medium to portray the depths of feeling and emotion. His flicks are divisive among viewers because plot and narrative are often a secondary or tertiary concern. Rarely is someone "meh" on Terrence Malick. He's either a genius or a hack to most of those informed enough to have opinions on these kind of things. To me.. I recognize that while his films lack a certain cohesiveness of narrative and structure, his art manages to achieve that rarefied air of evoking strong, genuine emotions, and not from manipulation or cheap parlor tricks, but rather from amplifying and exemplifying genuine experience and reaction. And while this is something that surely all (or at least, most all) filmmakers aspire to, it is something that very few ever achieve, and just about none achieve with the consistency or success of Malick. Whatever your feelings about, say "The Thin Red Line" or "The New World", there's no disputing that the films contain scenes of heartbreaking beauty, despair, and depths of emotion that can only be described as "authentic". So our crazyman/genius has set off on his most ambitious endeavor to date, a film that sets its sights no lower than depicting and reaching for the definition of the whole of existence.. human life just as the starting point. This flick asks questions.. unanswerable questions, dealing with spirituality, eternity, religion, and love. It doesn't bother itself with answers either, contenting itself with pondering in the manner of a late-night debate between friends. The flick unfolds in a series of vignettes, each one depicting a brief glimpse into a life, whether it's a conversation, an afternoon, a weekend, a month or a phone call. Concerned much more with visceral feeling than with narrative structure, the entire film unfolds like a prayer of sorts. This film achieves the impressive feat of pondering spirituality without preaching or extolling any one set of virtues.
The central conflict that drives the narrative, such as it is, is between the differing philosophies and approaches employed by young Jack's parents, Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien (Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain). Dad is a disciplinarian and very much a man of his Truman/Eisenhower-era ethos. He's a worker and believes that through dedication and discipline, the world is your oyster. Mom is much more ethereal and spiritual, appreciating beauty, spirituality and individualism. These dueling forces could very well be the defining conflict of western civilization.. but here, they just make young Jack a very confused boy.
After I saw this one... it took me a solid 2 hours to decide whether I liked it or not. The more I thought about it - the more I realized.. um, this was great. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.. and it explores much more than it tells. In the hands of a lesser artist this would come off as pretentious at best, far worse in the alternative. However, in Malick's hands and the hands of his cast, it comes off as... beautiful. This is an important film, important for what it says without saying anything. For putting human life into perspective... as something precious and yet insignificant. For asking... "why?" and "what else is there?" and daring to seek an answer. For putting together some beautiful sequences.
Powered by strong performances from Pitt, Chastain and the children.. this flick comes off as very, very real. I have no doubt that this is how our parents and grandparents grew up, and that this world would be all-too recognizable to them. Despite being set in the '50s, being a kid is being a kid, and the sense of confusion, wonder, anger and frustration that comes with it is perfectly conveyed here. Don't come in expecting for your hand to be held through a neat little narrative. Come in expecting an exploration.. a journey if you will. And be amazed at what results.
9/10. The Best movie I've seen in 2011.
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