(USA, 112 min.)
Written and directed by Terrence Malick
Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier
Bardem.
It seems that there really are two ways through film: the
way of Malick fans and the way of others. To
the Wonder will surely test which side you are on, for it marks Malick's most
demanding--if not taxing--film to date. This difficulty says a lot about To the Wonder if one compares it to the
director’s previous film The Tree of Life
and Tree emerges as the more
accessible of the two. That may simply be because Tree is undoubtedly the better film – for all its infuriating
madness, The Tree of Life is an
exceptionally rich cinematic experience. To
the Wonder might come nowhere near the scope and power of Malick's previous
films (it's the lesser film he's done so far), but second rate Malick is still
better than most films. It might not make new converts to the Church of Malick,
and anyone who disliked The Tree of Life
shouldn’t touch To the Wonder with a
forty-nine-and-half-foot pole.
To the Wonder is Malick
in his most abbreviated, episodic form. The film might simply be too cerebral
for its own good, as even the most active of viewers could throw in the towel. To the Wonder, like Tree of Life, is also told is an endless assemblage of voiceover,
twirls, and swish pans, so viewers might feel unusually dizzy piecing this one
together.
In spite of the potential nausea, To the Wonder looks as beautiful as anything Malick has ever
filmed. He reunites with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki once again, so To the Wonder is an epic visual feast.
The scenes at the seaside oasis of the wonder, the proverbial trip which
frames the film, is particularly gorgeous, as are the twilight scenes on Jane's
ranch, which recall Malick's Days of
Heaven.
The most sensuous moments of To the Wonder are more likely to evoke memories of superior experiences iin Malick's other films. While To the Wonder
looks as good as the director's best work does, this view of Malickland feels flat. One
could accuse Malick of making pretty wallpaper instead of a film. To the Wonder just doesn't have the same
emotional pull as his others films do, and that might explain the lack of a
hook that the film needs to take viewers to cinematic heaven. For a film that
relies so heavily on its actors to work silent wonders, the leads simply don't
have the strength to carry the load of silent moments in which Malick demands
them to tell the story with their eyes. Unlike Jessica Chastain and Brad Pitt,
these actors don't have as strong a flare for raw emotion. One could fault
Malick twice on this point if one considers how many strong actors were cut
from the film. (Affleck has much more screentime than reported, though.)
To the Wonder might not exit TIFF with the same level of excitement with which it entered, but there is no denying that the film might still be the talk of the festival. No other film at TIFF caused quite as much debate as To the Wonder did. This film is probably best enjoyed as a conversation piece rather than as viewing experience. Malick obviously made a film that was intended to be contemplated ad nauseam. It would therefore be unfair to call To the Wonder a failure: for all its shortcomings, the film seems to have achieved its purpose.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
To the Wonder opens in theatres and is available on VOD April 12.
It opens in Ottawa at The ByTowne on April 26.
