New Details Emerge On Terrence Malick’s ‘To The Wonder’

With Terrence Malick’s romantic-drama ‘To The Wonder’ premiering at the Venice Film Festival at the end of August, Venice festival director, Alberto Barbera, has revealed some new details regarding the film’s themes, “The main recurring theme is the crisis.  The economic crisis, which is having devastating social effects, but also the crisis of values, the political crisis.” The story for ‘To The Wonder’ concerns a philanderer (Ben Affleck) who, feeling at loose ends, travels to Paris, where he enters a hot-and-heavy affair with a European woman (Olga Kurylenko). Said Lothario returns home to Oklahoma, where he marries the European woman (in part for visa reasons). When the relationship founders, he rekindles a romance with a hometown girl (Rachel McAdams) with whom he’s had a long history. Alongside Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko and Rachel McAdams, the film co-stars, Javier Bardem, Barry Pepper, Michael Sheen, Amanda Peet, Jessica Chastain and Rachel Weisz.

In past months, Terrence Malick has been shooting two further movies back-to-back, the first is tentatively-titled ‘Lawless,’ while the second film is titled Knight Of Cups.’ ’Lawless’ will star Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Haley Bennett, and Natalie Portman. ‘Knight Of Cups’ stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Wes Bentley, Isabel Lucas, Natalie Portman, Imogen Poots, Freida Pinto and Justin Wheelon. Since Malick’s debut film ‘Badlands’ in 1973, the acclaimed filmmaker has only made four other films, ‘Days Of Heaven,’ ‘The Thin Red Line,’ ‘The New World,’ and last years ‘The Tree of Life’ - which won the 2011 Palme d’Or at Cannes. The official synopsis for ‘To The Wonder’ can be read here: “After visiting Mont Saint-Michel — once known in France as the Wonder — at the height of their love, Marina (Olga Kurylenko) and Neil (Ben Affleck) come to Oklahoma, where problems soon arise. Marina makes the acquaintance of a priest and fellow exile (Javier Bardem), who is struggling with his vocation, while Neil renews his ties with a childhood friend, Jane (Rachel McAdams). An exploration of love in its many forms.” Source: AFP.