Ryan McNeilBack in September, I was over the moon when I discovered that Terrence Malick’s new film was going to play TIFF 2012. Then i saw the picture, and it felt less like being over the moon and colliding head-on into the moon.
The film I saw was beautiful, which didn’t surprise me in the least, but it also felt half-realized.
Now whether anything has changed about it, I do no know for sure. Malick has been known to tinker with his films endlessly, so getting a finished product so soon after TREE OF LIFE might have been parcelled with downsides. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that the man hasn’t touched a frame of it since September, and what I saw was what you’ll see.
Here’s your first glimpse. If you’re curious about what we got from it back in the autumn, here’s what I wrote at the time, and what Tom Clift and I discussed minutes after the show let out.
While I’ll definitely see this w/ low expectations, you can’t deny that it’s one of the most beautiful films out there.
The man is incapable of shooting a bad frame, so you have a point. When it’s released though, you’ll see what I’m getting at…provided it hasn’t been recut.