Badlands

25-year old rubbish collector Kit has no idea what to do with his ambitions – and the naive single-mindedness of 15-year-old Holly gives shape to his dreams. Because the girl’s father has no understanding for Kit’s love, the young man shoots him. The lovers then set out on a journey that seems less an escape from justice than a trek across the sundry “badlands” with their ever new and beautiful sunsets – and tediously dangerous people whom Kit will have to kill. Malick’s “Bonnie and Clyde for the dispossessed 1970s” is inspired by a true story from 1958, though he takes the liberty of making a subtle parallel with the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict. Without sentiment or condemnation, the story infers that the frightful absurdity of the protagonists’ behaviour comes not from “bad” society, but rather from nature itself. The conflict between the desire to run away and to come forward is materialised through Kit’s identification with the outdated model of James Dean’s "Rebel Without a Cause". Thus, in the end, justice does not win over crime, but authentic living over unauthentic... Terrence Malick’s debut introduces his philosophical style of directing: the captivating, cold-blooded and progressively developing scenes rely on the truly alluring landscapes and impressive score. (source: catalogue Karlovy Vary IFF)