Knight of Cups Is A Screenwriter's Vlog | Movie Review
/DIRECTOR: TERRENCE MALICK | STARRING: CHRISTIAN BALE, CATE BLANCHETT, NATALIE PORTMAN
RUNTIME: 118 MINUTES | RATING: R | SCORE: 2/5
Terrence Malick is a man that is sure to divide audiences with every new feature he releases. Having started way back in the early '70s, he was known as a recluse making a feature every other decade. As of recently the man has been on a roll, filming movies back to back with a prolonged post-production stage. To put it into perspective, Emmanuel Lubezki (cinematographer) started principal photography on this film and in between that and the film's theatrical release the man won THREE Academy Awards. Talk about a gap.
Now the film is meant to be inspired by the Christian allegory Pilgrim's Progress and is split into different chapters that correlate with tarot card themes. Bale plays the "Knight of Cups" who's a screenwriter unhappy with what seems to be a relatively successful life. He looks back at all of the women he's been with such as; the chill chick (Imogen Poots), the ex-wife (Cate Blanchett), the model (Freida Pinto), the stripper (Teresa Palmer), and the one who might be his true love (Natalie Portman). In between we see his relationship with his suicidal brother (Wes Bentley), his strict father (Brian Dennehy) and his hollywood friends who are portrayed by real life celebrities.
GOOD:
Malick is known for making visually stunning films and the same can be said about his newest feat. Having a very hazy, dream-like feel as we follow Bale around the streets of LA really makes us feel the gloominess that his character is experiencing. It's a film that doesn't set out to teach the audience but instead gives them a glimpse of the depressing side of fame and fortune.
Just like with Malick's previous films, this one can seem very auto-biographical. In The Tree of Life, he reflected on his Texas childhood, mirrored his marriage in To the Wonder and here seems to disclose the bleakness of his career as a writer. It's clear that he's making the films that he wants to make, at points feeling like we the audience are watching home videos; ones that have juicy parts, but are less enjoyable if they're not yours. In a way, I respect that the man has a crazy unorganized vision and doesn't let anyone stop him from making the "experiences" he wants to create. But you have to wonder, is it right to expect an audience to pay full price for your experiments?
BAD:
Don't expect a straightforward narrative. The film was absent of a script with shoot days consisting of spontaneous actions with only pieces of optional dialogue given to the cast to say. And while the filmmaking process can be as crazy as possible, the only thing that matters is the final product. But the shoot pretty much describes why we get what we get. It honestly feels like a pretentious vlog piecing together the life of a depressed screenwriter. With student cinematographers and Bale handling a GoPro for a good chunk of the scenes that seem to add nothing to the plot, it's really hard to not see it that way.
Sure, it's an experience. But one that I know will put many to sleep.
By the end credits, it's obvious that Malick is making the films that he wants to make but not the ones that fully connect with audiences. Its dream like state is still worth "experiencing", but as a STREAM IT in the comfort of your own home.
