By Robert Bellissimo

“A cross between cinema, philosophy, poetry, and a quasi-religious experience. It’s almost like he’s inventing a new form … he kept saying that he wanted to “catch life on a wing”. This is a quote from Cate Blanchett who was in Knight Of Cups, which was released in 2015. I think she perfectly sums up the experience of watching a Terrence Malick film. Knight Of Cups was mostly torn apart by critics when it was released and bombed at the box office. Why so many critics were dismissive of this film is baffling to me. Even though you can immediately tell that a film is written and directed by Malick because of his hallmark filmmaking styles, such as voice-over narration, beautiful painterly cinematography, shots of nature, love triangles, spirituality, among many other themes, you can certainly see the influence from the likes of French New Wave Directors, such as Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais and Italian filmmakers, Michelangelo Antonioni and Federico Fellini. Knight Of Cups brings to mind Blow-Up, L’Eclisse, La Dolce Vita and Last Year At Marienbad. Four films that most critics love, which are considered some of the greatest films ever made. Yet for some reason, Knight Of Cups and most of Malick’s post-Tree Of Life films were torn apart and dismissed by critics.
The film follows Rick (Christian Bale), a successful screenwriter in Hollywood, as he wanders around Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Santa Monica. He is searching for meaning and feels completely empty. He is surrounded by beautiful women and success, yet nothing satisfies him. He is battling demons from his past. His brother has committed suicide and he has, what appears to be, a difficult relationship with his other brother, Barry (played by Wes Bentley) and his father, Joseph (played by Brian Dennehy), as they try to come to terms with what happened to their other sibling and why their relationship with their father has been severely strained.
We also see Rick through a series of different relationships with women. His ex-wife, a Doctor, Nancy (played by Cate Blanchett), a married woman, Elizabeth (played by Natalie Portman), a stripper, Karen (played by Teresa Palmer) and Della (played by Imogen Poots). We only get suggestions as to why these relationships ended, as these women come and go in his life, but what’s certain is that the failure of each relationship has taken a toll on Rick.
Why is Rick so unhappy? He walks past a number of homeless people in Los Angeles, and wonders why he is so fortunate while they are not? His existential crisis is ambiguous. Malick’s films don’t give answers. They ask questions. His images ask questions. Why is someone who has it all so unhappy? Perhaps Rick feels as though all he has achieved is meaningless. It has forced him to see beyond his ambition and the root of it. He sees the world around him as artificial and lacking true communication and connection. Every party or club he goes to leaves him emptier and emptier. The only time Rick has any sense of joy is during an orgy scene with two women or while driving around LA with two other women. Women seem to be an escape for him, except when the relationship becomes real.
Rick also frequently goes to Death Valley, a place that is calm and connects him to nature. We also see Rick go to the beach. The ocean is, after all, where life began. Like most Malick films, Rick visits a church and talks to a priest about his issues. He is looking for guidance, help and to feel human again.
The film is shot in a surreal fashion. Scenes will suddenly be on rooftops or in front of an audience at a theatre. If one tries to figure out the “meaning” behind each image, they will be lost. Can you figure out what all of your dreams mean? I don’t think so. Leaving meaning aside, I find the film tells you enough about what’s going on, so that you can fill in the questions it poses, while also being deeply emotional, by simply getting lost in the images.
The beauty about this film is that it doesn’t seem that Rick finds what he’s looking for, but he keeps trying to find the light.
Knight Of Cups deserves to be critically re-evaluated for it’s depiction of the existential questions it poses that we should all keep asking ourselves. Why are we here? What is important? What are we doing? Why are we less connected to one another than we should be? Why do we not give more of our love to one another?
I’ve seen the film twice now and I saw a lot more the second time than I did the first time. It’s a film that asks a lot from the audience. It’s challenging, yet rewarding. It will stay with you long after seeing it.
You can watch Knight Of Cups on Prime Video.