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nTitle: To the Wonder (2012)
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nDirector: Terrence Malick
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nCast: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, RachelnMcAdams
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nCertain directors out there make films that are annexperience to watch, these films don’t subscribe to any ideas of what a filmnshould be, these types of films are made to be taken in without anynexpectations; you simply have to experience them. Films like these lean morentowards the artistic, the ‘avante garde’, the experimental. I’m talking aboutnguys like David Lynch, Werner Herzog or Andrei Tarkovsky, all directors, likenMalick, who will show you that the world is beautiful and strange enough on itsnown, without the aid of special effects. These guys don’t make films with box officennumbers in mind ; if their movies make money, it’s a by-product of the thing,nwhat they care most about is making a film that will linger on after you watch it,na film that will stir your emotions; films that will leave a lasting impressionnon you. I urge you to watch films by these directors, you can rest assured they’llnleave a mark on your psyche and your emotions, because directors like thesencare most about making you feel while commenting on the little intricacies of thenhuman condition.
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nThe thing with directors like these is that depending onnyour appreciation/tolerance for art and style, you’ll either love their filmsnor hate them. I fall under the ‘I freaking love Terrence Malick’ category. Why?nWell, what can I say, the guy makes films that move me, that speak to me evennwhen there is no dialog being spoken, which by the way is a signature stamp onnMalick films; images take over and speak. “A picture can say more than anthousand words” is a phrase that comes to mind when I watch a Malick film; whatnI love about the beautiful vistas and landscapes that Malick catches with his lensesnis that they speak about that beauty of nature that leaves us speechless; younknow how sometimes you’ll look at a spectacular sunset, or bask in the beautynof nature and you can’t help but be blown away by the magnificence of it all?nAbout how beautiful it all is? That’s what To the Wonder is largely about, anlove letter to nature and the beauty of life, which is in large part what TheTree of Life (2011), Malick’s previous film, was all about as well. But whilenThe Tree of Life focused entirely on the magnificence of life, To the Wonder divesnmore into themes of relationships and faith. It is both things, a love letternto life and an exploration of the ins and outs of love.
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nOn this film we meet Neil (Affleck) and Marina (Kurylenko)nprecisely at the moment when they have started to fall in love with each other,nyou know, those moments when physical attraction is the strongest and people can’tnseem to keep their hands to themselves? When the smallest of caresses means anworld, that time of the relationship when you feel you’re walking on air, ah, the beautynof the beginning. The film is amazing in that it focuses on those littlendetails that demonstrate that these two individuals are really into each other,nthe looks, the caresses. But again, Malick doesn’t focus so much on dialog, it’snnot what these characters say but what they do that lets us know what is goingnon. We do hear inner monologue as the characters whisper tonthemselves how they are feeling, so be ready for a film that doesn’t havenpeople saying “I love you” or “I trust you”; nope, one this movie charactersnshow these things with their actions towards each other. For example, in thenfilm, Affleck has a fling with Rachel McAdams and she’s a horse wrangler, a cowngirl every step of the way; she’s fallen deeply in love with Affleck, but hendoesn’t want to settle down. She wants to marry him and she’s trying to sort ofnreel him into it, the same way she would wrangle her untamable wild horses. Allna visual allegory to how Affleck’s character doesn’t want to get tied down by marriage.nMalick does this type of allegorical thing with the images all throughout.
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nI’ve always thought that relationships, no matter how strongnthe bond is at first, have an expiration date to them. I am of the opinion thatnnothing lasts “forever”, to me everything changes, which is why I don’t believenin marriage. Why get tied down to someone legally, when eventually bothngrow tired of each other? Everything starts out fine and dandy, but around thenfour to five year mark you’ll start annoying the hell out of each other to thenpoint where one can’t stand being with the other. But I digress, I’m sure marriage works for some, but what I have seen in this world, it rarely does. The film targets those first blissful moments of thenbeginning of a relationship and those awful moments when the magic is gone andnyou’re left with nothing but hatred and contempt for each other. There is a scene in which Affleck is trying tonhug and caress his wife and she pushes him away, a scene in which we see that obviously,nthe love is gone. Why do people forget why they fell in love with each other?nWhy do we forget what made it all work in the first place? Then there’s thenissue of freedom, which you kind of loose once you are entangled with someone.nIn the film, Marina is a free spirit, always dancing and basking in the beautynof nature while Affleck is detached, quiet and introspective. In one particularnscene, Marina’s best friend comes from France and tells her to go back to beingnthe free spirit that she is, to go back to France and feel alive! In this scenenMalick alludes to how Marina’s relationship to Affleck has degenerated to thenpoint where the relationship sucked the vitality out of her. She’s no longernthe crazy, free spirited being she once was. So is being with somebody “forevernand ever” a good thing for you, or will it end up being a soul sucking experience?nYou be the judge; I’m sure there’s such a thing as eternal love for anothernperson, it’s just so damn rare. But anyhow, these are the themes the filmnexplores in regards to relationships.
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nThrough the character of Father Quintana; Malick exploresnissues of faith. It’s interesting because in the film Quintana is a person whomnpeople look up to as a spiritual leader, yet secretly, he doubts the existencenof god. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in God, it’s just that he’s never hadnany real proof of his existence, he wants to believe but has no physical ornempirical evidence to do so. This is something that happens to people who startnto question faith; secretly in your mind you tell yourself it’s all feelingnlike a bunch of bull, but you don’t dare say it out loud for fear that someonenmight discover you are beginning to doubt God. In Father Quintana’s case, hisndoubt is starting to show on his face; so much so that his own parishioners beginnto tell him he doesn’t look happy. His doubts are so strong, he feels his life asna preacher is a lie. Yet while the film does question the existence of God, atnthe same time it’s an ode to the wonder of the world, the beauty of nature andnthe planet which is something real and undeniable. There are many scenes innwhich the camera simply focuses on the beauty of a breathtaking landscape ornsome curious thing that happens in the world, like the wind blowing through thentrees, or the water forming odd shapes on the sand. The way I see it, Malicknsees the world the way I see it, as a constant wonder, no matter how small ornseemingly insignificant the event, according to this film, there’s beauty inneverything and Malick wants you to see that. Without a doubt, one of the mostnbeautiful looking films of the year.
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nRating: 5 out of 5
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