Rent The New World on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Terrence Malick
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, Wes Studi, David Thewelis, Ben Mendelsohn
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
The story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.
Verdict
This movie is a lot if you've never seen a Malick movie. His movies are a rumination on memories and feelings. The first time I saw this I didn't like it, the second time it became one of my favorites. It's different because the plot is secondary to creating a feeling and a mood. Shots of the untamed natural world often complement scenes without dialog. While this takes place during the founding of Virginia, it's not about that. That premise only serves as a spring board for Malick to create a movie about love, devotion, and acclimation.
Watch it.
Review
The first time I watched this i didn't like it. I didn't know what it was. The adherence to the plot was loose, and the movie often meandered into what seemed like a documentary style. Unlike any movie I had seen up to that point, this defied convention. The second time I watched this, after watching Malick's The Thin Red Line, this movie clicked. Malick's movies are a stream of consciousness recounting of emotions from the central character. Nearly all of his movies feel like that, with the sights and sounds having a greater importance than the plot.
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| Colin Farrell plays John Smith. |
John Smith (Colin Farrell) arrives to the new world in chains, but gets a second chance for a new start in the fertile grounds of what would become Virginia. The landscapes in this movie are beautiful. This was filmed in Virginia. There are frequent shots of nature. It can be bewildering, but it's setting up a feeling and those shots build to that. Captured by indigenous people, John Smith lives among them becoming enchanted with their way of life. The pettiness he's accustomed to doesn't exist. Historical people serve as the inspiration, but this isn't historically accurate.
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| Q'orianka Kilcher plays Matosaka. |
John falls for the Chief's daughter, Matosaka (Q'orianka Kilcher), who saved him from execution. The movie captures a relationship between two people. We see them growing closer only through how they react to each other and touch each other. There's no dialog, but there is of course voice cover because it's a Malick movie. Malick doesn't employ voice over to reveal or push plot. It serves as insight into a character's mind, revealing personal thoughts.
Smith is released by the indigenous people and returns back to the Virginia fort which has fallen on hard times. He's forced to be in charge over people that are willing to fight over what day of the week it is. It's a stark contrast to where he was, and he longs for the life he used to have.
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| Christian Bale plays John Rolfe. |
This feels like two movies. The first half is John Smith and Matosaka living freely in nature. When they're separated Smith longs to see her again. The second half is Matosaka and John Rolfe (Christian Bale) living the rigid life of a settler. Sadness pervades every scene she's in, missing Smith. Sections are divided by titles cards, giving this the feel of a book and certainly quite a bit of time passes between those cards.
This movie is incredible, but if you want a movie to follow a basic structure that the majority of movie's follow this isn't it. This movie might expand your expectations of a movie's capability. This doesn't tell you what to think or hold your hand. It creates a mood and a feeling that provides room for your to draw conclusions and speculate. Most movies tell a story, this one creates a feeling.
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