To the Wonder (2012)

Reviewing Terrence Malick films isn’t easy.

I remember a group of us talking outside a theatre in Waltham, MA, after seeing The Thin Red Line. One in the group remarked “…that film didn’t need to be made…” My sister and I stood wide eyed. Aghast. Slack jawed. Not because our movie tastes were so much more sophisticated than our companion’s, but because we’d both liked it very much.

Still, I understood what my friend meant. The film’s narrative was unbelievably loose. It’s pacing was deliberate, to put it mildly. It was far from the traditional Friday-night fare he’d expected.

Every shot in a Malick film is a work of art. Gorgeous far beyond reality. Wide, panoramic shots of the sky, as well as several others of water—still, running, puddles, lakes, rivers, etc... I’m not sure how he does it, but every frame looks perfect. Many evoke a feeling of discovery, somehow. Dialogue is scare. All this gives the films a hypnotic quality. To the Wonder is no exception.

The story’s about a couple, played by Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, Argo, Chasing Amy, Good Will Hunting, Hollywoodland, The Sum of All Fears) and Olga Kurylenko (Seven Psychopaths, Quantum of Solace). They met and began dating in Paris. She has daughter from a previous relationship. He works studying ground pollution from energy companies (it’s unclear which side he’s on, the companies or the environmentalists; however, given how he dresses, the car he drives and their home, I'm guessing he works for the polluters). They relocate somewhere in the Midwest. It’s a generic town of upscale subdivisions, and chain restaurants.

We see countless scenes of them together, many without dialogue. Most seem happy times, with them wandering the streets of Paris and later unpacking in their new Midwestern home. Others, however, are tumultuous. They fight in a restaurant for reasons we don’t yet know. Infidelity (both potential and literal) looms over the relationship. Having gone from urban life in Paris to this slow-paced, non-descript town she, in particular, seems a lonely fish out of water. Though she’s giving it a go, it’s clear she’s unhappy.

A second storyline involves a priest, played by Javiar Bardem (The Dancer Upstairs, No Country for Old Men, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Skyfall, the Sea Inside). He’s a gentle man, who’s fighting feelings of ambivalence about his faith. He’s struggling to feel the influence of God in the modern world.

Accompanying his wife to a local hospital, Affleck has a chance encounter with a pretty former friend (Rachel McAdams; Mean Girls, Midnight In Paris, Wedding Crashers). Seeking refuge from his crumbling marriage, they immediately hit it off.

Malick’s camera is rarely static. Instead it’s often hand-held, panning back-and-forth from character to character. Sometimes it runs along with them, chasing its subjects. As mentioned, he loves filming water. Something about its undulating fluidity is beautiful and calming.

To the Wonder is a mysterious, meditative film, whose story is told mostly in wordless images and voice over. It examines the difficult parts of maintaining relationship, that cinema too often takes for granted: temptation, stability, boredom, personal satisfaction and commitment when times get hard. I found it less interesting and compelling than Tree of Life. Its pacing is deliberately slow, the story unfolding in flash forward and back. I didn’t love it, but it's very beautiful to look at. I’m glad I saw it.