You can say so much about Malick's stunning, unique visual style. His camera is always moving and never lingers long. There is a mix of lenses - wide angles, fish eyes, and everything is fluid. And frequently beautiful - all of his films feature many ravishing images. This is done in the same style as Knight of Cups and Tree of Life, with characters sharing their inner thoughts in voice-over as events dreamily unfold. And that is great, but that is not the same as having a coherent narrative and clear themes. Much of this takes place in the world of pop music, with cameos from Patti Smith and Johnny Rotten and others, but there is little music making going on here. The story revolves around a love triangle featuring 2 musicians, arrogant Cook (a big star?) and nice guy BV, and the girl they both get involved with. She also gets into a brief lesbian relationship (why?), and Cook beds down a sexy waitress. There is a lot of physicality, with the characters constantly caressing and playing with each other. The star power is here and the acting is fine, but the story falls short, despite the true-love-wins-in-the-end finale. I have to add Malick to my long list of directors whose writing ability is not on a par with their visual brilliance.
Review of Song to Song
