MovieChat Forums > To the Wonder (2013) Discussion > Death and the 'Ghost Dance'

Death and the 'Ghost Dance'

posted 11 years ago by elephantpie
6 replies | jump to latest

Having looked into the autobiographical events that seem to have inspired 'To the Wonder', it occurred to me that many critics are unaware of the fact that Michèle Morette (Malick's French ex-wife, and the individual behind the character of Marina) died in 2008, as the director was working on 'Tree of Life'...

The film was allegedly originally to be called 'The Burial', and can be seen as much darker than anything in his prior work (despite the general focus on "uplifting and inspirational romance" in many positive reviews). I've written an article exploring these ideas, which I thought might be of interest to some here:

http://thewhaleshipglobe.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-ghost-dance-re-eva luating-terrence.html

Olga Kurylenko's constant dancing, for example, seems to evoke the 1890s 'ghost dance' that swept through Oklahoma (the state in which the majority of the film takes place). The entirety of Malick's latest film, it seems to me, can be viewed as a work of mourning, in which the theological security of Tree of Life is disturbingly absent.

[–] jab670 11 years ago

I love your article! I wish more film critics would take the effort to write such thoughtful pieces instead of kneejerk reactions. They give a film a thumbs down after 15 minutes of thought and brand the film a failure. I wonder how many critics later come around and re-examine a film.

[–] HarryPowell 11 years ago

That is one of the most resonant analyses I've read on this film and a real pleasure to read. I was already aware of the biographically inspired elements, but your near-psychoanalytical approach, and cross-referencing, throws a new light into it's core. It's like a key part of the jigsaw has been found.

Thanks and I hope the word is spread and your article gets the attention it deserves. Those that twitter and FB (etc) get to work now! ;)

[–] shantytown1212 11 years ago

So it's Malick's "What I Did During My 20-year Vacation from Film" film?

It's not you. It's the military-industrial complex.

[–] jab670 11 years ago

Well, not quite, but yes. It's like taking an episode from your life and connecting it to the world. You see personal struggles with relationships and a few bad decisions, but then he connects it to larger themes and experiences others have. It's very universal look at love and faith, but also extremely personal.

[–] thepalestfire 11 years ago

Too much to get into, but the article goes a little overboard in its analysis, and draws more from outside references then the film itself. A well written and interesting read though, that reminds me of the film "Room 237".

[–] elephantpie 11 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the article (I haven't seen 'Room 237' yet, but was amused by some of the more far-out theories expressed in the trailer). In terms of bringing in outside references, the main aim was to highlight things with which Malick himself was familiar but which we might miss (the biographical elements, obviously, but also the history of his home state, and the significance of certain musical choices and theological quotations). As Ebert suggested, the audience are in constant danger of "missing something" with a film like this - I'd bet that my article only scratches the surface.