Review:
Ain’t Them
Bodies Saints is a beautifully atmospheric character drama/romance. The
film is about two young lovers Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie who engage in
criminal activities. The police surround them and Ruth shoots one of the
officers, Patrick Wheeler, during their apprehension. However, Bob takes all
the blame and goes to prison, leaving Ruth to raise their child alone, but Bob
promises to come back for them. A few years pass, Bob has escaped from prison
and is making his way back towards the small town in Texas where Ruth has
remained. Meanwhile, Patrick has developed a friendship with Ruth (that is more
than that for him) and he is also tasked with capturing Bob should he try to
make contact with Ruth.
At face value, Ain’t Them Bodies
Saints easily could have become just another love-triangle drama, prevalent in
young adult literature and cinema, but writer-director David Lowery does
not lean upon any of the genre troupes and trapping. Quite the opposite –
Lowery seems more interested in saying something more profound about love
through the pain his characters experience. Ruth and Bob never waver in their
love for each other, regardless of what society may think or what is best for
them and their daughter. Their love exists on a much deeper level than cinema
(that has become increasingly superficial) usually allows for – their love
feels almost spiritual in their devotion to each other. Bob returning to Ruth
is not just an arduous journey evading capture, but a journey to make his soul
whole again. He does not care about the consequences; he just knows he needs to
be with his family. For Ruth, the feelings are the same, but she is more sensible.
She knows that Bob is doomed if he does come back for her.
However, maybe the most
interesting character is Patrick. He is in love with Ruth, and while it is
unclear if he knows that it was her who shot him or not (I think that he does
know) it would not change his feelings. What makes him interesting is that he
loves her and knows he would be good for her (which translates to the audience,
which honestly gets the audience behind him despite the pull between Bob and
Ruth), but he also knows that she is completely in love with Bob. He is willing
to just settle for only having a part of her (is that to say that having a
chance at powerful love, even if it is not fully returned, is worth any
consequences?) . What also gets the audience behind Patrick is that he is kind
and noble. He feels like the quite, stoic hero that frequently populated
classic westerns, while Bob is quirky and shifty. As viewers, we do not fully
understand the connection between Ruth and Bob, because to some extent we only
see the negatives (exacerbated by Patrick clearly being a better choice for
Ruth), while their love exists on a much purer level and is uncomplicated (when
modern culture has seemed to overcomplicate love). For them, love is not a
matter of convenience or simple attraction but something that completely
envelops one’s soul.
Lowery spends most of the film contemplating
the effect of this love on his characters. Bob is blind to everything that
awaits him if he tries to come back for Ruth, which is likely to end up in his
death. Ruth is not living a full life as she waits for a man that she can never
be with. And Patrick will probably only find his heart broken. The film takes
on a very atmospheric and brooding feel as the dramatic tension grows between
these three characters and the audience. Bob is coming back, and when he
arrives the audience knows something bad will happen. Thus, Lowery builds this
low grumbling anticipation that bubbles just beneath the emotional turmoil that
the characters are already experiencing. In this way the tone is fairly dark.
The film also has a very timeless
quality, as if it could take place at in any time period (which is why the
title card at the beginning only tells the audience that the story takes place
in Texas, but not when). The idea of love being this all-consuming entity is itself
a timeless concept explored in literature and art throughout history. Lowery
does not bring much of anything new to the topic, and the film is probably not
as profound or moving as it aspires to be, but by the same token it does have
the ambition to explore the emotion on a deeper level, which is more than can
be said for many films. And, for those willing to go on the film’s emotional
journey, the experience is heartbreaking and dramatically dynamic.
There is an ethereal quality to
the film as well, that mixed with its timelessness and high concept ideology leaves
it to be compared to the work of Terrence
Malick (and the story at face value could be placed side by side with Badlands
– though, I think they are very different films). While there are some
stylistic similarities, I do not really see this as a just comparison. Malick,
if nothing else, obsessively is in search of truth and beauty, while Ain’t Them
Bodies Saints is much more about these characters specifically and not about what
love means in a general sense. Yes, we can make assumptions about love based on
how these characters live their lives consumed by its effects, but Lowery seems
to be more interested in the characters and what their emotional turmoil means
to them than what their struggles say about love (which is the distinction between
this film and the work of Malick). In short, Lowery’s film is not just a
continuation of Malick’s work or style; it is its own thing entirely.
Overall, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
is either going to play as an emotionally absorbing experience or a slow, dull
drama – there does not seem like there will be middle ground. The performances
are also brilliant, which is what happens when a director hires wonderful
character actors to play the leads. Thus, if nothing else, this film is a
worthwhile lesson in strong dramatic acting. But for those whiling to engage
the film on an emotional level, it is quite compelling (but again, it probably
is not going to teach you something new about love, humanity, or yourself).
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: David Lowery takes the leap from
very indie writer-director to pseudo-indie writer-director (after all, this
does star name actors and has a production budget and quality equal to that of
theatrically distributed films) with Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. He has shown
himself to be a great talent with the film, as he has an eye from powerful
aesthetics and has directed very strong performances from his actors. I do look
forward to his future work.
As said above in the review, the
film has a very atmospheric feel, to which Daniel Hart’s score plays a big
role. Bradford Young’s
cinematography is quite good. Visually, the film seems to only use natural
lighting sources, which gives it a very natural feel, fitting with the overall
tone. His photography is often very beautiful as well. Helped additionally by Jade Healy’s production design,
the overall look forwards the thematic feeling of timelessness. The small town
in Texas seems like it was forgotten in time, as if it forever will stay the
same (it a state of decrepit shambles) regardless of the advancement of society
around it.
In terms of performances, there
may not be a better acted film than Ain’t Them Bodies Saints so far this year. The
performances are powerful, yet subtle and restrained. These characters feel
like real people, put upon by hard times and emotional struggles. Nate Parker is very good in a
small supporting role. Keith
Carradine plays Skerritt, the man who raised Ruth and Bob and whose son was
killed during their arrest by the police. He plays a man bitter with regret,
unable to move past his loss. The viewer can feel the pain in his eyes. Ben Foster is brilliant as
Patrick. He is gentle and kind, yet stalwart. He very much reminds me of a
character out of classic westerns, which fits this film very well – a man out
of time. Casey Affleck is
really the perfect fit for characters such as Bob – weird, slimy but capable of
deep emotional feeling. He can play an anti-hero like no other. Rooney Mara may have the most
difficult role in the film as Ruth. While she is devoted to Bob, she is also
torn by her understanding that she also must look out for her daughter’s best
interests. She is being ripped apart inside – both terrified that Bob will come
home (and what that means) and almost euphorically hoping that he does. And on
top of all this, she has to keep it all bottled up inside. It is fabulous work.
Summary
& score: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints is a worthwhile experience for
those looking for wonderful performances and a narrative that aspires to
interact with its viewer almost purely on an emotional level. 7/10
