Song to Song (2017)

Terence Malick is a genius. I still think The Thin Red Line is his best movie but Knight of Cups and Song to Song are very close. He is at best when he keeps the esotheric religious nonsense to a minimum and also lets loose of subtext and story. Whats left is an artistic description of human nature that is more accurate than any rational story could be. For me it is like a dance it makes you understand by feeling it ...no rigid story or understanding necessary and also in the end not the same meaning for everyone. Movies like this are not entertainment they are art and that is why Terence Malick will be still famous long after humanity doesn't care about Steven Spielberg etc...

I was able to watch this on DVD from my public library. Mainly because it has some of my favorite male and female actors in it. I admire Terrence Malick for the same reason I admire Woody Allen, even though they are quite different filmmakers. Each seems intent on making something they want to make without much regard to whether others will consider their movies "good." They also tend to make movies about things and places they enjoy.Malick has spent time in Austin, Texas, and one of the focuses here is the Austin music scene. The movie is also shot in a number of Texas locations not so much for story purposes but because they look very good on film. Like the top of Enchanted Rock north of Fredericksburg (yes I have climbed it) or the scenic Austin 360 bridge over the Colorado River. My best interpretation of this movie is we see and hear what could be going on inside the head of the writer/director. It is 2 hours of this and for those who enjoy that then it is a really enjoyable film. Otherwise it is not worthwhile for those who enjoy conventional narratives.

This film was like diving into the minds of the characters, through their love, ambition and confusion. You could never know where your mind leads you it may jump to places you don't expect and that's exactly how Malick has made this film. I can totally understand why some or most people would hate this film, it works only for a few people who probably are like the characters of this film.

Of the thousands of movies I have seen Malick's "The Tree of Life" is perhaps at the top of my list. It grabbed me and never let up. I have seen most of Malick's movies and beginning with "The Tree of Life" he developed a unique style that he has worked with in his succeeding movies, pushing it further with each. I liked "To the Wonder" and was still on board with "Knight of Cups," although neither was nowhere near the masterpiece that "Tree" was. But with "Song to Song" Malick has pushed the limits of his style beyond where I can appreciate it--I am hoping that this will be the last of this experimental film making in this vein.As usual, the images are captivating. It looks like Malick must drive around and, as soon as he sees something that interests him, he films it (with his consummate talent and taste) and then tries to merge all of the images into some narrative that makes some sense, mainly to him I'm afraid. The trademark closely miked audio, long takes of characters walking around each other, minimal dialog, beautiful people, and nature shots are in evidence. Music is essential to any Malick movie I have seen and it is puzzling why the music in this movie, that is played against the backdrop of the Austin music scene, did not engage me. Interspersed among the Austin scene are classical segments--Saint-Seans seems a favorite here. The supporting score is highly fragmented, which I suppose is in keeping with the fragmented nature of the story line, but just when I was appreciating a song there was a cut to an unrelated scene.There are many well known musicians in the cast, playing themselves, such as Iggy Pop, Lykke Li, Sara Quin, Chad Smith. Patti Smith does get some time, both as a character in the story and as a singer.If there is a coherent story, I missed it. I got the basic love triangle bit, but from there all was obscure. How Cate Blanchett figured into things was a total mystery to me. Was she there simply as a box office draw? The main character, played by Ryan Gosling, is given the name "RV" and I got that only from the closing credits. When I realized that I had entirely missed the boat on the characters was when I saw in the credits two actors listed as being BV's brother. Nowhere did I catch that BV had a brother.If I were to have turned off trying to make sense of this thing and just sat back an enjoyed the images, there would have been enough here to think this is worthwhile. But, unless you are plugged into Malick's recent vision, you might give this a miss.