Movie Review: Ain't Them Bodies Saints -- My Pick for Best Film of 2013 So Far

Hi everyone! Happy Labor Day Weekend...

"Ain't Them Bodies Saints" is a quiet and impressionistic little film that evokes the work of Terrence Malick while establishing David Lowery as a director to watch. Set in and around a small town in Texas sometime in the 1970s, Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck star as Ruth and Bob, childhood sweet hearts separated at the beginning of the film by a crime that puts Bob behind bars. Ruth is pregnant and has a daughter, Sylvie (sweetly played by twins Kennadie and Jacklynn Smith), whom she raises on her own under the watchful eye of Skerritt (a terrific Keith Carradine), her childhood guardian, and Patrick (a sweet and sweetly sympathetic Ben Foster), a local cop. Four years pass. Bob escapes from prison and makes the trek back home with the intention of reuniting with Ruth and Sylvie.

I won't say anything more about the plot which isn't really the driving force behind my recommendation. What impressed me most about this film were the performances of its stars, Bradford Young's understated yet lush cinematography and its overarching sense of atmosphere. I've liked Ms. Mara's work in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Side Effects". But here I found her to be somewhat of a revelation. Her performance is effortless. You feel her loneliness, her love for her child, and her dread at the inevitability of Bob's return but it all registers so quietly. She inhabits this role so completely you almost forget she's acting. The same can be said for Mr. Affleck, who's always been an interesting actor, much more so than his older and better known brother, Ben. As Bob, Mr. Affleck brings an intensity and a certain kind of vulnerability to a character that doesn't merit sympathy. And yet you care about him while hoping at the same time he's unsuccessful in achieving his aim. As the third point in this rather conventional love triangle is Ben Foster's Patrick, the small town cop whose unrequited love for Ruth really provides the emotional core of the film and gives it its heart. Mr. Foster's performance is graceful and understated and utterly real. You just can't help but root for him.

"Ain't Them Bodies Saints" is a refreshing change of pace from Hollywood's bombastic summer blockbusters,  most of which have either bombed at the box office or underperformed this year. This is a film of few words, gorgeous photography, and captivating performances that need no artificial amplification, CGI effects, graphic violence (though it isn't without its bloodshed), or gratuitous sex. It is the perfect film to kick off the Fall season and it is my pick for best film of 2013 so far.

Have a good holiday weekend.