To the Wonder (2013)

Sick Product of a Sick System

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

hyped garbage

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

O. K. guys. I have watched all the movies from this director. I really liked The Thin Red Line, you know, during the war a Captain and a Sargeant really care about the men of their company, while the batallion colonel just care about promotions and medals. That said, I miss the point of all the other Malick's movies. ¿What is it, lack of communication amog human beings, or between husband and wife?. This movie, to me, it was the same movie that I have ever seen from Malick, whith the exception of the Thin Red Line. This guy should reinvent himself. I didn't get the point of Bardem's character. The movie should have been shorter...

Malick tries Malick again, for the people they like. Personally I do not like it and this movie was not going to be different. When a movie can last for half an hour or so and do not undergo any changes, there is something strange. In this case, I think that happens exactly. The film spends almost all its time making nonsense plans in which you see the characters look at each other or look at infinity with voice-overs saying phrases that claim to be phrases for the story but do not say anything.If you like to watch movies that enjoy the visual, metaphysical part but without a course, you'll like it.The actors, they are, if they are, but I believe that they do not even know what they have to do, besides putting interesting faces. It is not known how they act, because they do not say anything.It is filmed in many places. I wondered if I chose the sites for something or if I had rolled there because it seemed nice. I'd like to ask the director.She has a photograph that is ugly, even if she is not pretty, but I do not know what she wants to tell me, because I do not know if she brings anything to the story.Directing Malick, I do not know if he directs but if we say that he does not understand anything, as much has not directed. The film is so special that you can not appreciate the tempo, or anything, but I know that the plans do not like or tell me anything. Some are even poorly composed.The unconditional of this director, you will be delighted.

I agree with other reviewers that this is exhaustingly boring. But worse, it seems to glorify shallow, unproductive people. These two supposedly 'fall in love' as evidenced by their acting like 3 year-olds (twirling, LOTS of twirling, running, scampering, and light PDA). And there are always carnival rides, right? SO cliché. The artsy presentation does NOT make up for the clichés. At least he has a job. She does NOTHING except twirl all daylong and play in the mud. She is pretty, and French so she seems to get away with this. She has no job, doesn't go to school, read, paint, meet new people, make her house into a home, nothing ....except twirl, flirt and rub herself like a cat on her man. Imagine if she were 88 or unattractive. How would this film seem then? I kept imagining her a a crone, still twirling and rubbing herself on men. Would this seem romantic? Deep? No, just sad. And she abandoned her daughter like a shallow person gives up pet. She has another child, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. HIs dad is in the US and his mom will soon rub herself on another temporary partner. What a bunch of baloney. The man is not much better, he has a job and it is implied that he has some moral misgivings about it, but he doesn't DO anything about it, and he also has zero interests beyond his waning interest in twirling women. He briefly dates a woman who has a little depth, she at least, has faith (and she doesn't twirl but does romp a bit). He dumps her without conscience . It would be different if this film was about the wastefulness of living an unexamined, unproductive life, but it seems to be about the sadness of unattainable perfect 'love'. Get a life. By the end of the film I just wanted to slap both of them into maturity. Real love is between two fully self-actualized developed people. Not toddlers.

I loved Badlands so when Malick finally came out with another film, The Thin Red Line, 25 years later, I was excited. I was on dialysis at the time when it came on the TV. The first half was Shakespearean in scope: I had hopes to see another Badlands and the first half exceeded that tremendously. But dialysis ended and I had to go. When I picked up the movie later, I was disappointed. Maybe it was only because it was split that way. But I've tried since and... no luck. So I was filled with apprehension when I began to watch this one, To The Wonder, another long wait, a dozen years but gladly only half the first.This time there was nothing to stop me from watching it whole. From the beginning it was captivating and, without having to have anything spelled out (Malick does not insult the viewer's intelligence), the story presents itself simply and clearly. Every turn of the plot is announced with the subtlest of feeling, imagery, music. One doesn't need to be told when it's over, when a character is too afraid to be where he ought to be and at the end, listening to the voice-over, I'm praying for it not to end. And that too is part of the movie.Some of the actors have flaws as actors. Malick uses those flaws to mold the characters to their skins. I have never liked Affleck, for example, but what I dislike about him was perfectly the character. Brilliant casting!Many masterpieces end with a feeling, "This is it! This is what life is!" but this one was not just what life is but what life is in its totality with nothing left out. I'm overwhelmed.This film is about commitment, not just to others but to life itself. Love life, it says, because life loved you by giving you life, by giving you its self.