Terrence Malick Weaves a Tale of Music and Misery in ‘Song to Song’

Monet Clayton

Premiering at the South by Southwest Festival on opening night, “Song to Song” is filled with an all-star cast – Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender, and Rooney Mara – and tells a truly heartbreaking story of love and betrayal. The director, Terrence Malick, is a revered auteur, known for taking years to work on and edit a project in order to get it right. He’s been on quite a roll lately with the Hollywood-set flick, “Knight of Cups”, starring Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. He also finished his space-bound documentary, “Voyage of Time,” in just over six months.

“Song to Song” revolves around the Texas rock music scene. Malik centers his camera on the state’s scenic landscapes, as well as the music production process, to tell his story. Worth noting is that most of the scenes were shot back in 2011, right after his film “The Tree of Life” was released. But Malik’s prolonged crafting process is just the way he works, and it’s evident it paid off here. He grew up in and around Austin, and “Song” faithfully captures the music scene of Texas, complete with the usual philosophical and spiritual overtones that come with a Terrence Malik movie.

Essentially, “Song” is the tale of two songwriters (Gosling and Mara) as they enter a world filled with seduction and betrayal. Fassbender plays a music executive, Cook, who has captured the attention of a local waitress played by Portman. Rooney Mara’s character, Faye, gets involved with Cook, believing he’ll be her ticket to success in the music industry. Along the way, though, she falls in love with BV (Gosling), and a love triangle soon ensnares them all. Later, Cook thinks BV is talented and becomes set on making him a star. The plot thickens as the characters learn to differentiate between what is real and what is fake, as their desire for ambition gnaws at them.

Overall, “Song to Song” makes for a resplendent ride. It’s filled with an all-star cast, amazing cameos by world class musicians (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith), and some truly awe-inspiring cinematography.

“Song To Song” releases in theaters on March 17.