To The Wonder (2013)

An American (Ben Affleck) meets a Russian emigre (Olga Kurylenko, QUANTUM OF SOLACE) in Paris and brings her and her daughter (Tatiana Chiline) back to the small Oklahoma town he lives in. After the relationship sours, the mother and daughter return to Paris but after a brief dalliance with an old flame (Rachel McAdams), he sends for the woman to return but their relationship isn't any easier. Terrence Malick's first film since his masterpiece THE TREE OF LIFE would be a hard act to follow because the anticipation is so high. It's the kind of film that needs to settle in before one can go beyond the first impression and make a balanced judgement but right now I'd put it on a par with his THIN RED LINE. Without the greatness of TREE OF LIFE or BADLANDS but light years beyond the awfulness of DAYS OF HEAVEN and THE NEW WORLD. Malick attempts to tell a story with pictures and music and minimal dialogue (most of the dialog is via voice over narration and it's the film's weak point) and with Emmanuel Lubezki's stunning lensing and its pastiche score (mostly classical music with some original underscoring by Hanan Townshend), he succeeds admirably. I could have done without the Javier Bardem subplot (a priest in a crisis of faith) but to be fair, there's a major payoff that comes from it that's a highpoint of the film. I suspect it is a film whose reputation will grow with time but if you're a Malick naysayer, this definitely won't change your mind.