Film genius to miss the mark. Case in point: Terrence Malicks To the Wonder, a beautifully empty exercise that so glacial is the pace makes Malicks Tree of Life look like G.I. Joe: Retaliation. As ever, you cant accuse Malick of being plot-heavy. We spot lovers Neil (Ben Affleck) and Marina (Olga Kurylenko) walking the Normandy beach near the monastery of Mont St. Michel. Love makes us one, she says.
Not exactly. When Neil and Marina, a Ukrainian divorcee whos made her life in Paris, move into Neils home in Oklahoma, Marinas 10-year-old daughter, Tatiana (Tatiana Chiline), moves in with them. All goes well until it doesnt. Neil is occupied as an environmental inspector. Marina befriends Father Quintana (Javier Bardem), a Catholic priest losing touch with his faith. When Marina returns to Paris, Neil reconnects with Jane (Rachel McAdams), a former love. Everyone seems trapped in a bubble of malaise as they wander landscapes shot as wonders of light and shadow by the gifted Emmanuel Lubezki. Malick keeps pushing Affleck to the corner of the frame, as if hes more interested in the women. I found it difficult to maintain interest in anyone. If theres such a thing as a feather that weighs a ton, its To the Wonder.