The New World

Critical opinion is generally divided on philosopher Terrence Malick’s infrequent forays into filmmaking. Metacritic shows a clutch of 100 ratings for this film, but also a number of 50s, including several from critics I normally agree with. In this case I favor the former -- I don’t see how you can have the patience for something like Tropical Malady, and not be willing to stick with Malick and his obsessions. Though criticized for snoozy nature documentary and woozy historical revisionism, this retelling of the Pocahontas story struck me as vivid, lovely, and reverberative. Given its scope, it squeaks past The Squid and the Whale as my favorite American film from last year. Q’Orianka Kilcher makes a striking and moving debut as the Indian maiden navigating between new world and old; by herself she makes the movie worth seeing, much as Keisha Castle-Hughes did in Whale Rider. Colin Farrell and Christian Bale perform well as John Smith and John Rolfe, respectively, though Malick’s focus is less on the actors than the on-location authenticity of the Jamestown and Indian settlements, and in the end on Jacobean England. Malick’s films tend to be more meditation than movie, but the magic and mystery of this New World never lost me for a minute. (2005, dvd, n.) *8+ (MC-69.)