Knight of Cups

Terrence Malick occupies a very special place in the history of cinema in the United States. After directing two well-received films in the seventies (Badlands, 1973; Days of Heaven, 1978), he faded out for twenty years, in which he did other things, like, for example, teaching philosophy in France. In 1998 he returned with the successful “The Thin Red Line,” then faded out for eight years, and reappeared in 2005 with the fascinating “The New World”. And it is the 2000s where Malick has been working almost non-stop, as producer and director. “Knight of Cups,” one of his recent efforts, exquisitely and colorfully captures life, as only Malick is capable of -- you know, with his very particular vision of things.

If I have to describe “Knight of Cups,” I would just say that it is a visually poetic homage to the city of Los Angeles, as well as to Las Vegas, two cities four hours away from each other, yet each one embodies the emptiness of the human condition in a sea of luxury and money. This emptiness is reflected in Rick (Christian Bale), a screenwriter, who despite his success, is missing that “something” that sometimes eludes us, that something that causes men and women to live a life of excess and addiction. In this case, Rick is constantly partying, having relationships with assorted women (Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots, Isabel Lucas), including his ex-wife (Cate Blanchett), and conflicting with his father (Brian Dennehy) and brother (Wes Bentley). One of these ladies may be the one that helps him see the light.

As in any Malick film, the cinematography takes a primordial seat, and here we enjoy the award-winning work of Emmanuel Lubezki, who captures the spirit of cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas in all their splendor and decadence. If you are able to separate the background images, the silences (almost a total lack of dialogue, mostly narration), the vast spaces (“sense of space,” as Malick has been quoted), and glue all these things together, you will perhaps understand or figure what the director was trying to accomplish here. It is definitely a testament to our times. The Blu-ray includes a making-of documentary. (USA, 2014, color, 118 min plus additional materials).

Reviewed on June 30, 2016. Broadgreen Pictures Blu-ray