Film: Badlands

Director: Terrence Malick
Genre: Drama
Source: USA (1973)
Rating: PG
Location/Format: Blu-ray
Grade: A-

Backlog Marathon Lesson 1: Terrence Malick

In a beautiful convergence of events, I decided a) that this summer I wanted to do a Filmspotting-style back catalog marathon of an "essential" director who I don't know enough about, taking in their filmography in chronological order, and b) I decided I wanted to buy some Criterion Collection films which had recently dropped in price on Amazon. My initial thought for a) was to do Stanley Kubrick, but with 13 full-length films in his filmography, it seemed a little daunting for a director I'd had mixed reactions to so far. Enter Terrence Malick, auteur behind only six films in 40 years--though he seems to have entered a sudden busy period, with five films currently set to release between 2011 and 2014. Since his first three films are already on Criterion, it seemed a fitting match for a summer endeavor.  

Badlands is actually my third Malick film. I watched The New World several years ago and was impressed by its beauty but distracted by its meandering narrative (I had no knowledge of Malick as a filmmaker at the time). Tree of Life stunned me when I saw it in the theater. It might be the best movie I've ever seen. I'm looking forward to revisiting it with my wife, who has not seen it. She joined me for Badlands and immediately fell in love with the director's style and imagery.

It's incredible to me that Badlands is a first film. Watching the supplementary materials on the blu-ray it was fascinating to see old and young pros talk about his methodology as a director, the visual canvas which he sees, as well as the process of discovering a film through editing, voiceover, re-editing, and so forth. He is not just a filmmaker, but an artist, and that artistry comes through in every frame.

It is no secret that this first feature is Malick's most straightforward film, but that is not a knock against it. I see him delving into themes that have a rich and meaningful history in art and literature: identity, love and desire, morality. At the same time this is a very American story. Kit (a hypnotic and crackling Martin Sheen) spends the film trying on personalities as easily as he does hats, trying to figure out what role he will play, how he will be somebody important, even as he is leaving a wake of destruction behind him. I'm not sure he sees himself as a killer, though he does describe himself that way. Instead I wonder if he doesn't see himself as a Romantic figure--misjudged, misunderstood, with greatness within that the rest of the world isn't recognizing. He is in some ways obsessed with things--the rock he takes to mark the first time he and Holly sleep together, the hat and jacket from the rich man's house, the many belongings that decorate the treehouse--even as he finds himself in settings more and more desolate, more and more removed from society and civilization. He drives aimlessly through the desert, aiming towards a mountain, but in reality he never gets close, and he has lost sight of the road altogether. Sheen, seriously. Is that guy underrated or what?

Holly's role in the journey is in some ways more amorphous, and I think that's fitting. Is she ok with Kit's actions? Does she justify them because she loves him? Because she's too young to understand their weight? She, more than the older Kit, is caught between childhood and adulthood, and Malick seems to frame her in both worlds easily. When they burn down her house, we see the objects of her childhood melting away, and yet where do they go? To a treehouse, a symbol of youth and play. Is that because she is naive or because she is unwilling to face the consequences of Kit's actions? Malick doesn't provide us with easy answers, but he allows us to see both sides of her personality. And I should add that Spacek, like Sheen, gives a really natural and compelling performance.

Badlands is also pretty stunning from a visual perspective as well. That seems to be a consistent quality in Malick's works: the power and beauty of the image. Whether shots of the treehouse, or Kit standing in the magic hour light, or a bed surrounded by flame, Malick (who had three cinematographers) has an incredible eye for beauty. The images are iconic even without the audio that heightens them; it's one reason I was happy to buy his films: I know I'll want to watch them again. I feel like there's a lot more I can and should say about this, but I want to keep thinking about it.

These are rambling thoughts, I guess, but Malick seems ok with free association and stream of consciousness. Days of Heaven arrives next week, and I cannot wait! I know it's a film renowned for its cinematography, and I'm excited to see where the director goes next.