What this "film" is all about.
In this thread I will try to explain why I gave this movie a 10, but in order for you to actually understand my reasons, first I have to describe an experience that I went through recently, as it is a crucial point.
When you're dealing with depression in its severe form, you are physically incapable of focusing on ANYTHING except for your own vast and terrifying misery, and even then, you don't perceive it with clarity, but from far away, because your brain is functioning in such a different way as if you've been literally transfered to another dimension, where the world no longer makes any sense at all. Your cognitive abilities are dramatically reduced during that time and let me tell you, this feeling alone can be terrifying as nothing you've ever felt before. You feel your definitions fading progressively, and yet you're completely and utterly powerless to change this process of mental degradation. In this state of being, some fundamental elements of your personality simply go missing, and you're no longer able to identify your own self, let alone anything else in this extremely complex world. It's an equivalent of retardation, but what makes it much worse, in my opinion is, the fact that while your sense of self is gradually slipping away, there is still some part of you which is aware of this process and in a way you're still there, witnessing your own self-destruction, but your conscionsness is trapped as an observer, incapable of counteracting in any way, like a paralysis of the "will" to act, and I believe this state of being to be the predecessor of death in most cases of suicide. It is the peak of your depression and that's when you either get help through some medication therapy, or you decide to visit places there's no going back from.
This is why this movie has no plot and is nonlinear, because in this state of depression/depersonalization(I use these terms as synonyms here because these conditions are essentially interrelated), in a huge way it is safe to say that you don't perceive time linearly anymore, as your ability to focus is extremely diminished and your thoughts are wandering uncontrollably, but at the same time these thoughts are utterly meaningless and bare no significance at all. Your mind becomes this giant porridge of nonsense, and all that's in there is just a sequence of random sentences appearing and disappearing from your mind, each of which begins before the previous is finished, and the only seeming connection between them is the theme of absolute, total desperation. And it's important to note that in such state there is no aggression, there is no intensity in any emotion because simply put - there are no emotions. You find yourself to be completely numb, as if your capacity to experience emotions has simply vanished. To an outside observer, if not sad, you appear to be completely calm, and that's why it can be very difficult for other people to even remotely grasp what you're going through at that time. That's why it can be really hard to describe what this "movie" is about, because even if there could be an accurate and precise description of this state of being, unless one has experienced it themself, it would be impossible for him to understand it. It would be like trying to explain quantum mechanics to your cat.
That's why I think the narrative style fits perfectly. It consists of short sentences, made of very few words, and sometimes it's just even one word. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but in this severe state of depersonalization the only way you can think(lead inner monologue) is through short sentences, which are EXACTLY like the narrative of this film, emphasising on the tragedies of your own existence. They are pretty much entirely related to yourself, and basically the only thing you can do is trying to figure out what went wrong in your life for you to end up here. And while in severe state of delirum, somehow you're still able to realize that there is no way for you to connect the dots, as you are incapable of processing information, and quite literally all you can do is just narrate your helplessness through vague and somewhat poetic collocations, which essentially signify nothing to you during this "bad trip". You cannot construct complex sentences and think in an eloquent manner to save your own life(which, ironically, you wouldn't want to do anyway). In these moments you most certainly wish to be dead with every particle of your body, but at that point not even suicide is an option, because you simply cannot organize your actions and "think it through", so you find yourself doing nothing but agonizing internally, pushing that tiny particle of rationality that is still functioning somewhere out there, to come up with some sort of solution which doesn't include death, while everyone around you thinks you're just having a bad day and that's why you're quiet, and they have absolutely no idea how immensely messed up you are. So you're just sitting there quietly, totally out of control, just trying to hold on to the vague possibility that things will just get better, somehow, on their own, if you just give it enough time, and the only thing left for you is to endure this lunacy and hope for some sort of miracle to save your sorry ass. And that's also why this "movie" is basically just a sequence of random shots, because in a state of severe depersonalization, while you're still there in the physical sense, you are not really anywhere in particular.
That's why I think this "film" is not even a film, at least not in the traditional sense, and it is suitable for a very specific group of individuals who at some point in their lives have experienced at least something similar to this kind of "bad trip". I honestly believe that those are the only people who could find this movie "enjoyable" and truly get something out of it. I myself tried to watch this movie when it came out, a year ago or something, and I couldn't get through half of it, that's how boring I found it to be. But now that I've went through this horrible "bad trip"(still recovering), I can relate to the narrative in this film so much, as if I myself have written it, and the way it is presented, it all makes perfect sense.
I also mentioned that I don't perceive this piece of art as a film, not entirely at least, because since there really is no plot and it is not linear, there is nothing in it to follow, nothing to pay attention to, and that's exactly why it's PERFECT for people like me, who are going through a very similar phase in their lives. Also, I believe this isn't exactly a "film", because this kind of "visual art" simply cannot be "entertaining", and that's why it's executed brilliantly, which Terrence Malick certainly deserves credit for. The subject of this "movie" is related to a state of being which is so abstract, complex and confusing, that the sheer effort of trying to film it is worth the admiration, and I have to say that Terrence Malick did an excellent job at capturing the essence of depersonalization, which by itself is no fun at all, thus the movie is not entertaining, which makes it wonderfully executed. And even if you were able to watch it during this "bad trip", which you wouldn't be able to, but even if you were, you wouldn't find any meaning, nor solace in it. You would be able to relate to it, but there would be no catharsis afterwards, nor anything at all. So in a sense, the audience it is designed for is ultimately unable to watch it, and only after having been through this "nightmare"(for lack of a better word), would you eventually be able to appreciate this "film".
That's exactly why I chose to watch this "film" in the first place, because I actually wasn't feeling like watching anything. Yet watching films has been a great hobby of mine for many years, but lately I can't seem to find any pleasure in it, so basically I'm just operating on autopilot, doing things that I used to enjoy(watching movies is one of those) and pretty much the reason I decided to explain all this, is because if nothing else, at least I can shed some light on what this "movie" is, and what kind of audience it is made for, as I find myself in a position where it makes perfect sense.
Anyway, those were my two cents. If someone has experienced anything similar, it would be interesting to hear your opinion on this. Take care fellows cinemaniacs! =))
tldr; You have to be incredibly *beep* up to "enjoy" this "film".