Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn
Beautiful – tracking shot of a sand bank being slowly swallowed by waves; cloudy, brooding, celestial images from the beginning of creation, fused with images of the microscopic, cellular details of life, etc. It is a simple point – the micro and the macro, weaving in and out of one another, reflecting one another, affecting one another.
Sound – thud and crackling of a supernova, down to the hushed rushing wind during intimate moments
Brad Pitt is absorbing as the cruel father, enshrouded in pathos. He is utterly convincing.
The epic, Koyaanisqatsiesque (wow) interlude is stunning in its visual and audio qualities, but it is a sparkling appendage, and it doesn’t quite feel relevant to the beautiful, small story that ensues.
That story is a small-scale story of memories, guilt, regret.
It doesn’t necessarily have as much to say as Mallick likes to think it does (but that is a staple of his work), but it takes its small story and tells it in a wonderfully subtle, patient way.
The young boy is engrossing, tear-filled eyes.
It is a masterful piece of storytelling.
No comments:
Post a Comment