To the Wonder Review

To the Wonder

2.5 stars out of 4

By Brett Takeshita

Malick fans: I know that you're going to see this movie, regardless of what I have to say. Non-Malick fans: you thought The Tree of Life was a doozy? Try watching To the Wonder, and let me know what you think. I'm going to start off by saying that it was difficult giving a rating to this movie. Therefore, I'm going to say that this is my initial review. I'm planning on watching this film again, and maybe my mind will change. After all, I had extremely mixed feelings after my first viewing of The Tree of Life. After the second viewing, I hailed it as one of the best films I've ever seen. So, I'm going to give To the Wonder the same chance. However, for now, this mild recommendation will have to do.

To the Wonder does not have much of a plot to speak of. Like The Tree of Life, it is more of an artistic poem than a straight-up movie. I'll do my best to give the rundown of the story: Marina (Olga Kurylenko) and Neil (Ben Affleck) are two lovers navigating both life and love. They spend a beautiful day at Mont Saint Michel, France, and they connect on a very deep level. Soon, Neil convinces Marina to move to Oklahoma. The couple -- and Marina's young daughter, Tatiana (Tatiana Chiline) -- attempt to adjust to this new life. Meanwhile, Marina confides in Father Quintana (Javier Bardem), a priest who is questioning his faith, and Neil rekindles a relationship with his childhood friend, Jane (Rachel McAdams). So is the "plot" of the film.

To the Wonder is so quintessentially Terrence Malick (in case you didn't know, he's both the writer and director). Even though this film has sort of an anti-narrative, it is still a deeply spiritual and philosophical film that explores the ups-and-downs of love, the struggles of faith, and the truths of human interaction. To the Wonder consists of strange lapses in time that span multiple months, or possibly years, without even letting viewers know it. The film has ambiguous poetic voiceover from the actors. It has magnificent, dizzying imagery and sound that lulls you into a spell. (More on that later).  Some may be profoundly moved by this film. Others may roll their eyes. However, you should know going into this film that it is 100% Malick. 

One of the greatest things about this film -- and Malick's direction -- is the use of sight and sound to evoke moods and feelings. We get wisps of gorgeous imagery in conjunction with a stunning score. Even though To the Wonder is currently on "Video On Demand," it must be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated. It's definitely a movie that deserves to be experienced in a big theater. Again, Emmanuel Lubezki proves that he is one of the most talented cinematographers in Hollywood. The way that he lights the actors, and the way that he makes even the most mundane images beautiful is quite extraordinary. What I found to be most jaw-dropping about the cinematography was the lush sensuality of some of the shots. In no way is this film sexually explicit. However, Malick and Lubezki get these lovely shots of the actors -- whether it's Kurylenko's bare shoulders or Affleck's toned torso -- that look like they could be used in beautiful perfume commercials. There is just some sort of marvelous sensuality to the shots that they get. I can't quite describe it in words. It's masterful.

Let's talk about the acting. As some of you may have heard, the actors don't have much dialogue. In fact, I'd be surprised if Ben Affleck speaks more than three lines in this film. However, just because the film lacks dialogue does not mean that the actors don't get much to do. Everyone here is spot-on. The performances are very internal. Ben Affleck gives a minimalist performance, and he gets that subtextual sense of complex feeling that is inherent to Neil's character. Olga Kurylenko and Rachel McAdams are lovely and glowing on screen. Javier Bardem gets some nice interactions with some Oklahoma townspeople that makes for some effective sequences.

Unfortunately, even though we get some fine acting from talented actors, we don't necessarily connect with all of these characters. The only character I identified with is Neil, which is interesting considering that he hardly talks at all. I didn't really care that much for the other characters. I think that Father Quintanas (who, in my opinion, is the weakest character in the film) has too much screen time, and Jane has too little. Maybe a flip-flop could have helped with developing the main characters more, and it could have therefore made for a more emotionally involving film.

I still can't wrap my mind around To the Wonder. I'm having a difficult time grasping the complexity of it all. At times, I was absolutely mesmerized. At other times, I was bored. The film does feel too long, even though it is just under two hours. However, I can't get this film out of my mind. No matter how hard I try, I keep thinking about it. To me, that's a sign of a successful movie. To the Wonder is a stunning and haunting picture that is really making me think. It's not a perfect movie. In fact, it can get downright maddening at times. However, it's a movie that I'm looking forward to watching again. Maybe after the second viewing, I'll be able to comprehend it more. For now, I'll just say that it's a flawed yet beautiful movie that I can't get out of my head. Two and a half stars out of four.