I am not a fan of Terrence Malick. His lyrical, ponderous style of filmmaking has never been one I have connected with. Well, Malick has lent his art house credentials to the directorial debut of his To The Wonder editor A.J. Edwards, which premiered at Sundance this year. The Better Angels does sport a rather impressive cast, including Jason Clarke, Brit Marling, and Diane Kruger, so that gives me some reason to be interested in it.
Today a the official domestic trailer arrives, which you can watch below, and I am unsurprised by how gorgeous the cinematography is, coming from a guy who has worked with Malick several times. As much as I do not like Malick’s films, I cannot deny they look phenomenal.
The film will be released on November 7th and I will have a review up soon. Personally, I hope Edwards’ film is at least a little heavier on story than his employer’s films have been and ends up being something I can latch onto. I skimmed through the trailer, and I have my doubts about that though.
Indiana, 1817. The entire nation, only 40 years old and a few years removed from a second war of independence, is raw. Men, women, and children alike must battle nature and disease to survive in remote log cabins. This is young Abraham Lincoln’s world. Spanning three years of the future president’s childhood, The Better Angels explores his family, the hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him forever, and the two women who guided him to immortality.
