Blending biblical allusions (Moses accidentally killing an Egyptian and fleeing, Abraham pretending Sarah is his sister to avoid being murdered by Egyptians), Malick’s film explores the logic of a material world. When this life is our “Days of Heaven,” why would we not compromise our integrity by creating a utopia here within the confines of a capitalist state? By the end of the film, Abby must contend with the fact of people not being things. The capitalist fever is dispelled…
There are such touching moments of comion in this film. Lynch’s method of portraying human emotion standouts, as he’s not necessarily the go-to film maker for such melodrama. But this is precisely what makes it so effective. They’re worked into the narrative so brilliantly that they feel so fitting and natural. In the case of Elephant Man, moments of human kindness constitute the narrative itself, and such charity is worth cinematic representation.
Comically grotesque, this movie somehow balances being earnest and not exactly taking itself seriously. Clarence Hilliard’s goofiness is too absurd to feel real (his devilish soul patch, maniacal laughter, his taking on the name “God Hilliard,” his focused lighting that always makes him seem like he’s telling a campfire ghost story), yet the weirdness of the plot and characterization strike hard like John Huston’s adaptation of Wise Blood. And Hilliard’s encounter with God’s blinding power at the end seems inevitable,…
