The latest work of Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, The New World) came to Scottsdale's indie movie theatre, Camelview, this past weekend. Being the movie nerd that I am, I have been awaiting its arrival since its release was just LA, New York and Chicago. The trailer gives the viewer a glimpse at a family story beginning in the 1950's and catches up with the eldest son of the family in modern times. The preview gives us feeling that the story is not just of this family, but more of an inquisitive quest into what we call the human condition.
The movie begins with a few scenes that involve Bratt Pitt (the father) and Jessica Chastain (the mother) and their immediate reaction to the news of the death of one of their sons. All of this is done to long, melodic, dramatic music sequences ( lots of the movie would include this). The movie cuts into a collections of beautiful and mesmerizing images with voice over from one of the characters. The images are cosmic in nature, whether nebulae, imploding stars, or novas in transition, the images are out of place and make us wonder what their purpose are.
After ten minutes of the cosmic montage, we begin to realize that Malick is attempting to portray the beginning and passage of time at its most primitive state, when matter is created. We forget that this is a movie set in the 1950's and begin to fall for this grandiose attempt of a movie, at least for a second. The images progress to tell the passing of billions of years into when dinosaurs became extinct on earth.
Next we are taken straight back (or shall we say forward) to the 1950's and the Obrien family the movie is set about. Pitt as a father is a military man, with strict moral code and even tighter house policies. The three sons, are obviously fearful of their father, but seem to understand the motivation behind his demeanor. The best part of the movie is watching the relationship with Pitt and his children. The dynamic is brilliant to see on screen. Pitt is remarkable, and so is the oldest son.
The movie is aesthetically spectacular. It is nothing short of moving poetry. The camera work makes you feel emotionally connected to the characters. The scenes of the cosmos are beautiful and scintillating. But their placement in the movie is suspect. The dynamic with the family is deeply complex, but the movie leaves loose ends on some experiences that were explored. The movie leaves you questioning the drive of Malick to "put that in" or "go off in that tangent with out finishing".
In the end, the movie falls victim to its own lofty aspirations to tell a story about a family and also the meaning of the human existence all in a couple of hours. The cutaways to the cosmic images bring remembrance of 2001: A space Odyssey and Kubrick's attempt to tell the story of life in a similar way. Mailick's intentions were in the right place. But the execution falls slightly short. Overall, the movie does give us a wonderful message that "if you do not love in this life, it will pass you by", but leaves the audience confused and wishing it were more.
